North Korea Fiercely Criticizes Former Abe as "Incompetent Madman with No Achievements"

Prime Minister Abe Visits Yasukuni Shrine Three Days After Resignation

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left the Tokyo Prime Minister's Official Residence at around 12:42 p.m. on the 16th. The Abe Cabinet resigned en masse that morning, ending their 7 years and 8 months in power.

On the 19th, just three days after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stepped down, he made a sudden visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals are enshrined. North Korea fiercely criticized Abe using harsh terms such as "madman," "incompetent," and "demented."

North Korea's external propaganda outlet, Tongil-ui Mea-ri, published an article titled "The Death Agony of a Political Corpse" on the 19th under the name of Han Se-ryeong, a researcher at the Social Sciences Institute, claiming Abe was an "incompetent who produced no achievements during his tenure." The article did not directly mention Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine that day.

The outlet criticized Abe's statement on the 11th, during his tenure, that "North Korea possesses hundreds of ballistic missiles aimed at our country (Japan)," calling it "nonsense only a madman filled to the core with militaristic ambitions could spout."

Researcher Han mocked Abe for consistently raising the issue of Japanese abductees by North Korea, labeling it as "anti-Republic slanderous acts," and said, "Such a political petty person, who has never even grasped the doorknob in Pyongyang and was treated like a mangy dog by us, deserves this treatment."

He also ridiculed Abe's resignation due to a relapse of ulcerative colitis, suggesting, "Rather, dementia symptoms, characterized by delusions of grandeur, a darkened view of the current situation, and incessant nonsense, would be a more fitting reason."

Strong warnings were also directed at newly appointed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who vowed to succeed the Abe Cabinet.

Researcher Han stated, "What cannot be overlooked is that Japan's new cabinet openly reveals its intention to pursue militarization under the banner of 'succeeding Abe's policies.' As advice, ignoring the changing tides of the era and stubbornly pursuing the futile delusion of the 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' instead of genuine apology and compensation to our nation and humanity will inevitably lead to a miserable fate of destruction. It would be wise to recognize this and exercise restraint and self-reflection."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced his resignation, is voting in the House of Representatives election held on the 16th to elect a new prime minister.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Abe posted on Twitter that morning, saying, "Today, I paid my respects at Yasukuni Shrine and reported to the spirits that I stepped down as Prime Minister on the 16th of this month." This was his first public visit to Yasukuni Shrine in about six years and eight months.

During his tenure, Abe faced strong criticism both domestically and internationally for visiting Yasukuni Shrine and had refrained from visiting since. His return to the shrine immediately after stepping down is seen as a reaffirmation of his far-right stance, now free from the political burden of being the "incumbent Prime Minister."

The South Korean government expressed regret over Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine.

In a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that day, it said, "We express deep concern and regret over former Prime Minister Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine, a symbolic facility that glorifies Japan's colonial invasion and aggressive war, immediately after his resignation."

It added, "We once again sternly point out that only when Japan's leading figures correctly face history and demonstrate humble reflection and genuine remorse for past wrongdoings through their actions can neighboring countries and the international community trust Japan."

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