North Korean State Media Op/Ed Endorses Donald Trump

DPRK Today, a North Korean state media outlet published an op/ed endorsing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

I first thought this was something that The Onion reported, but alas it is real, and was published in the North Korea on Tuesday. NKNews.org, an independent English-translated news source out of Seoul, South Korea that focuses on North Korea, reports:

A North Korean editorial on Tuesday said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump can bring about North Korea’s “Yankee Go Home” slogan and ultimately help unify the Korean Peninsula.

The article published in state media outlet DPRK Today also referred to Trump’s proposal to hold direct talks with Kim Jong Un, praising the likely Republican nominee as a “wise politician” and “far-sighted presidential candidate.”

“In my personal opinion, there are many positive aspects to the Trump’s ‘inflammatory policies’,” wrote Han Yong Mook, who introduced himself as a Chinese North Korean scholar.

“Trump said ‘he will not get involved in the war between the South and the North,’ isn’t this fortunate from North Koreans’ perspective?”

Referring to the Trump’s speech in March to potentially withdraw the U.S. military forces from Seoul if it does not pay more for its defense costs, the North Korean editorial welcomed the policy with open arms.

“Yes do it, now … Who knew that the slogan ‘Yankee Go Home’ would come true like this? The day when the ‘Yankee Go Home’ slogan becomes real would be the day of Korean Unification.”

The article even urged Seoul not to pay its defense costs so that U.S. Forces would eventually withdraw from South Korea in the future, and urged American voters not to choose “dull” Hillary Clinton.

“The president that U.S. citizens must vote for is not that dull Hillary – who claimed to adapt the Iranian model to resolve nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula – but Trump, who spoke of holding direct conversation with North Korea.”

I suppose we can expect some South Korean media outlets endorsing Hillary Clinton in the near future. Our continued presence in South Korea is a source of debate, but considering the size of the North Korean military and the fact they’re developing a nuclear arms program pulling American troops from the DMZ would not just be a disaster for South Korea, it is also a national security concern for us.

A North Korean endorsement of Trump’s position on South Korea is worrisome.