'Trump is a CROOK' pro-North Korean daily blasts US leader over THAAD cost

By Lee Han-soo

A pro-North Korea newspaper in Japan says U.S. President Donald Trump is a “crook” for his abrupt and seemingly uncoordinated demand that South Korea pay for its THAAD anti-missile system.

Chosun Shinbo said on Monday, “Syria's attack is a tremendous war crime, but to Trump, it was only a means to pressure China and North Korea.”

“The idea and value are of a mere merchant. Even by asking South Korea for money after enforcing the THAAD deployment shows that Trump is a crook and a heinous gangster rather than a merchant.”

The article came six days after Trump said he wanted to charge South Korea $1 billion for the THAAD operation here.

Many South Koreans were furious over the remark. Under the Seoul-Washington pact regarding the missile defense system, the South must provide the land while the U.S. is responsible for funding the system’s operation.

The newspaper added that the U.S. was stumbling as Trump reached his first 100 days in office.

“There is a rumor that Trump will not be able to serve his four-year term in the U.S. business and media circles,”the paper said.

Experts say that the article aims to weaken the alliance between Korea and the U.S. while criticizing South Korea and the U.S. for pushing for stronger sanctions against the North.

”North Korea is using various media sources to incite anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea and cause social conflict,” a North Korea expert was quoted as saying in Joongang Ilbo, a Korean daily.