N. Korea again claims US started Korean War under 'well-crafted' script
Young students stage a rally calling for revenge against U.S. imperialists at an outdoor theater in Pyongyang, Monday, in this file photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency on Thursday. Yonhap
North Korea on Thursday reiterated its claim that the 1950-53 Korean War was the result of invasion by the United States under a "well-crafted script," while highlighting its resolve to confront South Korea and the U.S.
The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, issued the claim in an editorial in commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Korean War.
"In the early hours of June 25, 1950, the South Korean puppet army launched an armed invasion against our republic," the Rodong Sinmun said, adding the North had to engage in a defensive war for 1,129 days due to "warmongering" by U.S. imperialists.
The newspaper also flatly denied the legitimacy of the participation of U.N. forces in the Korean War, despite the U.N. Security Council's adoption of a resolution calling on member states to assist South Korea's war effort.
In a separate front-page editorial, the newspaper urged North Korean people to arm themselves with a strong "anti-U.S. struggle spirit," highlighting the country's determination to fight the U.S. and South Korea.
Historians have repeatedly confirmed that the Korean War broke out when tank-led North Korean troops invaded South Korea. Sixteen nations, including the U.S., fought alongside South Korea under the U.N. flag during the conflict.
The North has claimed that the war started with an invasion by the South, while calling it the "Fatherland Liberation War" and celebrating July 27, the day the country and the United Nations Command signed a truce that ended the war, as Victory Day.