N. Korea condemns terrorist attack in India

Sanjana cries over the body of her husband Mahesh Yadav, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldier who was killed in a bombing in Kashmir, on the outskirts of Tudihar village, some 56 kilometers east of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh state, India, Feb. 16. / Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

North Korea condemned Saturday the recent terrorist attack in India, saying it firmly opposes all kinds of terrorism.

"We express our grave concern over the tragic incident occurred in Jammu and Kashmir of India on Feb. 14 which killed 40 as a result of the terrorist attack," a spokesperson for the North Korean foreign ministry said in response to a question by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Saturday.

"It is our long-standing principle to oppose terrorism in all its forms," the spokesman said.

Critics say the North's remarks are part of its efforts to rebrand itself as a normal state likely to seek diplomatic ties with other countries.

Andrew Kim, who retired as head of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Korea Mission Center last year, revealed talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un saying he has firm determination to denuclearize his country.

"We asked ― specifically, the director, Pompeo ― asked Chairman Kim: Do you really intend to denuclearize? And the way he replied was that, the chairman said: You know, I'm a father and I'm a husband and I have children and I don't want my children to carry nuclear weapons in their bag to live through their entire life. That was his answer," Kim was quoted as saying to Yonhap during a talk at Stanford University Saturday. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was director of the CIA prior to taking his current job.

However, some say the North's move is contradictory to its past actions. Regarding the killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, North Korea has fiercely denied any involvement in what happened even though Malaysian Judge Azmi Ariffin said there was enough evidence to suggest it was "a well-planned conspiracy between the women and the four North Koreans at large."

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