Anti-U.S. video featuring Trump shown to North Korean residents

In a recent lecture video produced by the North Korean government for its residents, former U.S. President Donald Trump was prominently featured. The video, themed “Crush the Anti-Republic Plotting,” is part of North Korea’s ongoing propaganda campaign, Radio Free Asia reported on July 24.

“Yesterday’s wolf, today’s wolf remains the same,” a narrator of the video says. “The American imperialists and enemies of class struggle, drenched in the blood of that fateful day, continue their rampage to recreate the bloodbath on our land. The only thing that has changed is that their various instruments of slaughter and murder now come wrapped in the sweet and fragrant guise of movies, publications, superstitions, and drugs.”

A resident source from North Hamgyong Province, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, told RFA on July 20, “Recently, the authorities have been conducting 30-minute lectures with videos aimed at crushing anti-Republic plotting. I was shocked to see a picture of former U.S. President Donald Trump in the video.”

The source continued, “These days, the Party’s regular lectures are conducted by watching pre-recorded videos. This week’s lecture was a video emphasizing that any illusions about American imperialism lead to self-destruction and death.”

The source further explained, “The title of the video was ‘The Guide to Anti-Republic Plotting.’ It prominently featured a photo of Trump, who once shook hands with our leader during the U.S.-North Korea summit, to strongly criticize the U.S.”

Another resident source from North Pyongan Province, also requesting anonymity, told RFA on July 23, “The Party is currently showing videos to residents with the message to crush anti-Republic plotting. These videos depict Trump as an unchanging wolf, both yesterday and today.”

The source added, “There are questions about what to make of our leader’s meeting with the U.S. president, where they shook hands and smiled during their talks. At the time, it was promoted as a significant achievement reflecting our leader’s great status.”

The source added, “However, the Party now features Trump in these anti-Republic plotting lecture videos, criticizing him heavily. This is an attempt by the authorities to instill absolute hostility and hatred towards the U.S. among the residents.”

“Nevertheless, most residents seem to pay little attention to the propaganda about the U.S. trying to undermine our republic from within,” the source concluded.

Meanwhile, on July 24, North Korea dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of a personal relationship with its leader Kim Jong-un as a mere “lingering desire.”

“[This is] buoying a lingering desire for the prospects of the DPRK-U.S. relations,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state-run media, said in a commentary titled “Whether Second Hand of DPRK-U.S. Confrontation Stops or Not Depends on U.S. Act.”

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Trump has frequently boasted of his friendship with Kim since being nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. He said he “got along” great with the North Korean leader when he was in office and would like to take Kim to a baseball game. The former U.S. president also echoed similar rhetoric recently, saying Kim “misses” him and “would like to see [him] back.”

BY YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.youngnam@koreadaily.com]