North Korea Calls President Moon's 'DMZ UNESCO' Initiative a "Reckless Act Without Guts"

"An Idea Impossible to Understand with Normal Thinking"
"A Miser's Perspective Trying to Profit from the Nation's Tragedy"

On June 30 last year, President Moon Jae-in, Chairman Kim Jong-un, and President Trump met in front of the Freedom House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom.

North Korea fiercely criticized on the 20th the proposal by President Moon Jae-in for the "joint UNESCO World Heritage registration of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)" as a "gallbladderless outrage."

North Korea's propaganda outlet for South Korea, Uriminzokkiri, in an article titled "An Idea Incomprehensible to Normal Thinking" on the same day, referred to the Cultural Heritage Administration's recent '2020 Work Plan' mentioning the joint UNESCO World Cultural Heritage registration of the DMZ, stating, "The South Korean authorities should listen to the public voice calling for the cessation of various reckless war exercises and military buildup provocations that escalate tensions, rather than indulging in such absurd antics."

President Moon first mentioned the necessity of registering the DMZ as a World Heritage site in his keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September last year. Since then, related agencies such as the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Ministry of Unification have begun preparatory work to realize this.

Uriminzokkiri questioned, "How can the thorny barbed wire fences of division, the horrific remnants of war, and the concrete walls of resentment, which should be removed as soon as possible, be something our people jointly preserve and take pride in as a World Cultural Heritage of outstanding value?" and added, "Truly, this is an idea that cannot be understood by normal Korean thinking."

It further claimed, "Registering the Military Demarcation Line DMZ, which divides one land and one people into two, as a World Cultural Heritage site and turning it into a tourist area and a money-making space is a gallbladderless outrage that shows no trace of the national spirit."

Uriminzokkiri emphasized, "In the end, the only thing circulating in their minds is an anti-nationalist mindset that aims to fixate, legalize, and commercialize the DMZ to perpetuate national division and fratricidal tragedy, and the miserly perspective of viewing the world through a coin slot."

North Korean Kijeong-dong village as seen from the rooftop of Daeseong-dong village hall located within the DMZ in Paju, Gyeonggi-do.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.