North Korean state media reported on the impeachment situation regarding South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, detailing the fact that an arrest warrant was issued for Yoon on Friday.
The reports by Pyongyang are interpreted as an intention to highlight the political chaos in the South to show off the North Korean regime’s political and institutional stability, while also firmly instilling a negative perception of South Korean society based on the hostile state's situation.
The North’s official newspaper the Rodong Sinmun reported on Friday that “since the Dec. 3 martial law in South Korea, unprecedented incidents have occurred one after another, and arrest warrants have been issued for key figures including the president, paralyzing state affairs and further expanding sociopolitical chaos.”
The newspaper reported in detail the impeachment of Yoon by the National Assembly on Dec. 14, the impeachment of former acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Dec. 27, and the issuance of an arrest warrant for Yoon to the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials on Dec. 31.
The Rodong Sinmun also reported on the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties over the chain of impeachments and rallies held in favor and against the moves, and the contents of a letter sent by Yoon to his supporters.
In its report, the newspaper also claimed that “foreign media has reported that Korea has fallen deeper into the abyss of political turmoil, and criticized it for collapsing despite droning on about the liberal democratic system like a mantra.”
The Rodong Sinmun’s highlighting of the political turmoil in South Korea is in line with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s remarks on the North’s “political stability and institutional superiority” at the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, which had its opening ceremony on Dec. 29. It is said that Pyongyang intended to promote the image that their system and institutions are stable compared to Seoul.
North Korea has previously been relatively detached in reporting recent news about South Korean politics, focusing on the facts in a dry tone. It seems that various calculations were made with this move, as it was concerned that news of the situation in the South could also affect the North, given that information control over the people is not as strong as before.
Meanwhile, the Rodong Sinmun also reported that Kim met with the North Korean women’s national soccer team that won the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup last year at the Workers’ Party headquarters on Thursday and took a commemorative photo.
The photos released by the newspaper shows Kim giving the players a thumbs-up and clenching both fists in joy. In October of last year, Kim also met with the women’s national soccer team that won the U20 World Cup, took a commemorative photo, and offered encouragement.
