Pyongyang, North Korea (CNN) — A North Korean official said recent remarks by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump are “absurd and illogical,” in a rare interview granted to a CNN team in Pyongyang.
Trump suggested the U.S. military should withdraw from key allies South Korea and Japan, and both countries could instead arm themselves with nuclear weapons.
“Donald Trump’s remarks are totally absurd and illogical,” says Ri Jong Ryul, deputy-director general of the Institute of International Studies in Pyongyang.
“The U.S. tells us to give up our nuclear program, is preparing a nuclear attack against us, and on the other hand would tell its allies to have nuclear weapons. Isn’t this (a) double standard?”
Pyongyang has not officially responded to Trump’s remarks. Last week, North Korean propaganda attempted political satire — adopting the voice of Abraham Lincoln — scolding President Barack Obama for U.S. nuclear policy.