North Korea resurrects Abraham Lincoln to criticize Obama

[webfact]

North Korea resurrects Abraham Lincoln to criticize Obama
By HYUNG-JIN KIM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has tried warnings of nuclear attack and racist diatribes to criticize U.S. President Barack Obama. Now it's turning to Abraham Lincoln.

North Korea's state media have constructed an imaginary letter from the 16th U.S. president that attacks Obama's "deception" over Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons. It is the latest response from the North to rising animosity with Washington following Pyongyang's nuclear test and long-range rocket launch earlier this year.

The letter, posted only in Korean on the DPRK Today website, is likely aimed at a domestic audience. DPRK Today is a relatively little known outlet compared with the North's main Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, which outsiders regularly check to find news from the authoritarian country.

The letter is titled "Advice from Lincoln to Obama."

"Hey, Obama," it begins. "I know you have a lot on your mind these days ... I've decided to give you a little advice after seeing you lost in thought before my portrait during a recent Easter Prayer Breakfast."

In the letter, Lincoln derides Obama's Nobel Peace Prize-winning push to build a nuclear-free world by questioning why the United States has not taken the initiative to scale back its nuclear arsenal first, even as it asks countries such as North Korea to scrap their atomic programs.

"If the United States, a country with the world's largest nuclear weapons stockpile, only pays lip service, like a parrot, and doesn't do anything actively, it will be a mockery to the entire world," the letter has Lincoln say.

Although the fake Lincoln criticizes Obama, the North doesn't portray the late president as a good leader.

"Hey, Obama, it's the 21st Century," the letter says. "The tactic by past American presidents, including me, who deceived the people ... is outdated. That doesn't work now. The world doesn't trust an America that doesn't take responsibility for what it says."

North Korea's state media has often used harsh language against U.S. and South Korean leaders in times of tension. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has stepped up rhetoric against Washington and Seoul during their annual springtime military drills, which it calls an invasion rehearsal. The drills are set to end later this month.

In 2014, the North's state news agency, KCNA, called Obama a "monkey." Earlier that year, it called Secretary of State John Kerry a wolf with a "hideous lantern jaw" after U.S. and South Korean troops launched summertime drills.

The North has also called South Korean President Park Geun-hye a "prostitute" numerous times.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-04-13

[apetley]

So Abraham Lincoln was a 16th century US President. Learn something everyday here about American history.

[ezzra]

Those N. Korean buffoons plays the oldest game in the book of intimidation with " stop me. I'm mad, I'm crazy, I have no control on what I will do or say" antics, is just that a barking dog don't bite, and the US can read into their foolish gambit.....

[mesterm]

Ok.

[GuyL]

So Abraham Lincoln was a 16th century US President. Learn something everyday here about American history.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. There is no century after 16th in the opening post.

[apetley]

So Abraham Lincoln was a 16th century US President. Learn something everyday here about American history.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. There is no century after 16th in the opening post.

I was wondering when somebody would spot my deliberate mistake today

[Srikcir]

seeing you lost in thought before my portrait during a recent Easter Prayer Breakfast.

This is a major PR blunder for the atheist communist nation!

Now North Koreans know that the President of the most powerful nation in the world observes Christian events and is a Christian. That invites a contrast by North Koreans to the leadership of a faithless and beleaguered North Korean government. A Christian missionary couldn't have done more.

[reggaebkk]

There are so many lies and so much blatant propaganda against North Korea, who knows if the news of this letter are real... In the end the US need North Korea exactly the way it is so they can use it as a scarecrow to keep Koreans and Japanese in a permanent state of fear in order to keep their military presence and weapon sales up.

It's like terrorists, if they didn't exist they should invent them, so who knows if they existed in the first place... So much b/s out there these days, that's probably just another one and it doesn't matter if it is or not.

Edited April 13, 2016 by reggaebkk

[2fishin2]

There are so many lies and so much blatant propaganda against North Korea, who knows if the news of this letter are real... In the end the US need North Korea exactly the way it is so they can use it as a scarecrow to keep Koreans and Japanese in a permanent state of fear in order to keep their military presence and weapon sales up.

It's like terrorists, if they didn't exist they should invent them, so who knows if they existed in the first place... So much b/s out there these days, that's probably just another one and it doesn't matter if it is or not.

If this isn't a troll post nothing on this forum is.

Please back up your comments with some facts, please.

[GuyL]

There are so many lies and so much blatant propaganda against North Korea, who knows if the news of this letter are real... In the end the US need North Korea exactly the way it is so they can use it as a scarecrow to keep Koreans and Japanese in a permanent state of fear in order to keep their military presence and weapon sales up.

It's like terrorists, if they didn't exist they should invent them, so who knows if they existed in the first place... So much b/s out there these days, that's probably just another one and it doesn't matter if it is or not.

If this isn't a troll post nothing on this forum is.

Please back up your comments with some facts, please.

At least, several inaccuracies about North Korea are well-known and reported here, for instance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_North_Korea

[Stargeezr]

Today I read another newspaper article that says North Korea is virtually Bankrupt!

I do worry about that as their very spoiled and young leader will blame the world

and not himself for the situation. Between him trying hard to get a nuclear missile

ready to use and the mind set he has of the rest of the world and especially the USA,

I wonder how much longer before we see a missile leaving NK and heading overseas?

Regaebkk, I do admire your avatar, but Not your message, are you really in BKK or in

NK at a computer terminal?

Geezer

[SheungWan]

There are so many lies and so much blatant propaganda against North Korea, who knows if the news of this letter are real... In the end the US need North Korea exactly the way it is so they can use it as a scarecrow to keep Koreans and Japanese in a permanent state of fear in order to keep their military presence and weapon sales up.

It's like terrorists, if they didn't exist they should invent them, so who knows if they existed in the first place... So much b/s out there these days, that's probably just another one and it doesn't matter if it is or not.

If this isn't a troll post nothing on this forum is.

Please back up your comments with some facts, please.

At least, several inaccuracies about North Korea are well-known and reported here, for instance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_North_Korea

Yes, it is a misunderstood workers' paradise.

[HLover]

Well, after a quick Google search....his jaw is quite lantern -ish.

[GuyL]

There are so many lies and so much blatant propaganda against North Korea, who knows if the news of this letter are real... In the end the US need North Korea exactly the way it is so they can use it as a scarecrow to keep Koreans and Japanese in a permanent state of fear in order to keep their military presence and weapon sales up.

It's like terrorists, if they didn't exist they should invent them, so who knows if they existed in the first place... So much b/s out there these days, that's probably just another one and it doesn't matter if it is or not.

If this isn't a troll post nothing on this forum is.

Please back up your comments with some facts, please.

At least, several inaccuracies about North Korea are well-known and reported here, for instance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_North_Korea

Yes, it is a misunderstood workers' paradise.

That's not what I'm saying. I am pretty certain that many lies are told in North Korea about the rest of the world, but the opposite is true. I just dislike lies. It doesn't matter much who is the liar: a lie is a lie.

[atyclb]

while i am not a fan of north korea it would be interesting to compare their students scores, math, science, reading, etc with the thai education scores.

[Scott]

while i am not a fan of north korea it would be interesting to compare their students scores, math, science, reading, etc with the thai education scores.

It would be an interesting comparison but not probably a statistically accurate one. I doubt that NK has universal education and if it does I doubt that there aren't reasonably large sections of the population that are denied it for various reasons.

Many relatively poor countries have had high scores in the past because only a select few were afforded education beyond basic primary level. As education becomes more inclusive, the scores invariably drop.

It's easy to have higher scores if you can eliminate those who do not do well in school.

[lostboy]

while i am not a fan of north korea it would be interesting to compare their students scores, math, science, reading, etc with the thai education scores.

It would be an interesting comparison but not probably a statistically accurate one. I doubt that NK has universal education and if it does I doubt that there aren't reasonably large sections of the population that are denied it for various reasons.

Many relatively poor countries have had high scores in the past because only a select few were afforded education beyond basic primary level. As education becomes more inclusive, the scores invariably drop.

It's easy to have higher scores if you can eliminate those who do not do well in school.

Too difficult to adjust for cultural bias I would think.

[lostboy]

There are so many lies and so much blatant propaganda against North Korea, who knows if the news of this letter are real... In the end the US need North Korea exactly the way it is so they can use it as a scarecrow to keep Koreans and Japanese in a permanent state of fear in order to keep their military presence and weapon sales up.

It's like terrorists, if they didn't exist they should invent them, so who knows if they existed in the first place... So much b/s out there these days, that's probably just another one and it doesn't matter if it is or not.

You may well be correct about North Korean Real Politik but people often forget that the Korean War (I think it was technically called an Emergency by the UN) is not over. It has been on ceasefire for 60 years. I do think that US and regional posture towards North Korea is probably based largely on that fact and relations would be different if there was a peace treaty signed. You know, normal stuff instead of looney bin stuff that NK is known for.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

He was also a vampire hunter,i know 'cos i saw it in a movie!!

[HLover]

while i am not a fan of north korea it would be interesting to compare their students scores, math, science, reading, etc with the thai education scores.

More on topic would be to compare the North Korean scores to a public educated student in America no?