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KCNA dismisses ruckus over ship "Pongsu" as political charade

KCNA

    Pyongyang, June 10 (KCNA) -- Recently media of Australia asserted that the crew of the DPRK trading cargo ship "Pongsu" should "be tried" while groundlessly linking the ship with the drug smuggling that occurred in Australia. They went to the lengths of raising the issue of expelling the DPRK Ambassador. They are seriously hurting the dignity of the DPRK while floating misinformation that the North Korean authorities may be involved in the drug smuggling.
    This is nothing but a ridiculous act of joining the United States in its moves to build up a "united front" against the DPRK in a bid to tarnish its image on the international arena and isolate and stifle it and a deliberate provocation intended to bedevil the normal relations between the two countries.
    The Korean people are stunned by the false propaganda launched by Australian media although objectivity and impartiality should be the basic ethics of the press.
    The DPRK makes it clear once again that its government strictly bans drug misuse and smuggling and has nothing to do with the recent case.
    It had already notified the Australian side that the ship "Pongsu" is a non-governmental trading ship and the ship owner side did not know about the case at all.
    Nevertheless, no sooner had the case occurred than Australian media took issue with the Workers' Party of Korea and the DPRK government, groundlessly linking them with the case before the truth behind it is probed. This proves that the case is not merely a drug matter but a premeditated and intentional political intrigue to hurt and stifle the DPRK under the pretext of its nuclear issue.
    It is a revelation of the mean plot to internationalize the drug issue and slander the DPRK by taking advantage of the U.S. hostile policy towards it, the policy aimed to isolate and suffocate it by demanding it drop its nuclear weapon program first and putting international pressure upon it.
    Whenever an opportunity presents itself, the U.S. cites a nuclear issue and drug matter for launching an anti-DPRK smear campaign and misleading the world opinion.
    All facts indicate that the ship "Pongsu" case is a product of the political intrigues of the U.S. and some undesirable forces in Australia to invent a pretext to impair the authority of the DPRK and attack it.
    The DPRK will closely follow how the case will be handled and never allow any attempt to use the case for hurting its authority and dignity.