By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea offered a message of condolence to Kuwait, Sunday, in the wake of a suicide bomb attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) in the relatively-secure capital of the Gulf Arab state, Friday.
Pyongyang also said it denounces any form of terrorism, a conspicuous statement considering that its military regime has long been accused by the international community of sponsoring terrorist acts.
The North’s move is seen as an effort to maintain close ties with Kuwait where thousands of its people have been sent to work and earn money for the impoverished regime.
“Kim Yong-nam, president of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DRPK) Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, offered condolences to Emir Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah regarding the death of innocent people in a recent bombing attack at a mosque in Kuwait,” Pyongyang’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency reported.
Kim serves as the nominal head of state under the Kim Jong-un regime. Al Sabah, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family, rules the country where Sunni and Shiite Muslims have lived together in harmony.
“The DPRK remains consistent and firm that it opposes all forms of terrorism and related support,” the KNCA said.
“The country strongly denounces the terrorist attack in Kuwait. We throw our everlasting support for Al Sabah and his government for them to make their country stable and draw out unity.”
The country only offered condolences to Kuwait, which along with France and Tunisia also suffered deadly attacks Friday.
The IS, a Sunni militant group, claimed responsibility for killing 27 worshippers and wounding over 220 in the suicide bomb attack at a Shiite mosque in Kuwait City.
It was the first terrorist attack in Kuwait in more than two decades. It is thought that IS is seeking to provoke Shiites to destabilize Western-allied monarchies in the Middle East, including Kuwait.