NEW YORK / SEOUL — North Korea on Monday sharply condemned the United States, accusing Washington of undermining the United Nations and engaging in “shameless illegal and immoral acts” that make a mockery of the global body’s purpose.
In a statement issued by its mission to the United Nations in New York, Pyongyang blasted reported plans for a UN briefing on North Korea’s alleged sanctions violations, saying they were misguided and hypocritical. Instead, the statement said, the most important issue that should be discussed within the UN is what Pyongyang described as a “hideous criminal act” by the United States.
“The US despises the existence of the UN itself,” the North Korean mission said in the statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Link to Venezuela Operation
While the Korean envoys did not specify the act they were referring to, analysts note the timing follows the US military’s reported operation in Venezuela, in which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces last week. North Korea has long feared similar “decapitation” strikes and has accused Washington of seeking to remove its own leadership.
Pyongyang’s statement strongly criticized what it termed the “irrationality and malpractice of abusing the UN arena to satisfy [US] geopolitical self‑interest,” saying such behavior “should never be allowed.” It accused the United States of using the United Nations for unilateral and selfish purposes rather than genuine collective diplomacy.
The North Korean criticism also follows recent announcements by President Donald Trump that the United States would withdraw from several UN organizations deemed “contrary to the interests of the United States.”
UN Sanctions and Longstanding Tensions
North Korea remains under heavy United Nations Security Council sanctions related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and has frequently accused the United States of hypocrisy for condemning Pyongyang while conducting its own overseas operations.
The statement reflects Pyongyang’s broader strategy of publicly railing against US influence at the United Nations while seeking to portray itself as a defender of sovereignty against perceived Western interference.
