NK media outlets mention Abe's death for 1st time

A mourner signs in front of a portrait photo of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot while campaigning for a parliamentary election, placed on an altar at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters, in Tokyo, Japan July 11. Reuters-Yonhap

North Korean state media outlets mentioned the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the first time on Sunday, calling him a "a samurai descendant" who committed numerous crimes against Korean people.

DPRK Today, a propaganda website, mentioned Abe while slamming South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for sending a condolence message upon learning of his death and praising him for making efforts for the sake of Northeast Asia.

Yoon "shamed Korean people by acting ugly as if his grandfather died about the death of a samurai descendant who committed unmeasurable crimes against Korean people through generations and honed his sword for re-invasion," the outlet said.

Uriminjokkiri, another propaganda website, also mentioned Abe while criticizing Vice National Assembly Speaker Chung Jin-suk over his plan to visit Japan in September in his capacity as a special presidential envoy and attend the funeral of Abe, "a symbol of the far-right who viciously slandered Korean people."

Tongil Sinbo, a North Korean weekly, carried similar criticism, lashing out at South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin for trying to take advantage of Abe's death as an opportunity to improve relations with Japan. (Yonhap)