SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) - North Korea, ahead of this weekend's commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War truce, demanded the United States apologize and give compensation for crimes ranging from genocide to drug smuggling.
The "International tribunal on U.S. crimes" Friday pronounced President Bush and his 10 predecessors going back to Harry S. Truman guilty of crimes against the U.N. charter, human rights declarations and "the principles of the military tribunal of Nuremberg" among others.
"The U.S. government must make an official apology for all its criminal acts in Korea, and make due compensation for physical, mental and material losses inflicted upon the Korean people," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted the verdict as saying.
Those responsible for the "crimes" should "be sentenced to criminal punishment" and the U.S. Congress should "investigate and address this issue," it said.
The tribunal also repeated Pyongyang's official position that Washington "abandon its hostile policy toward the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), sign a nonaggression treaty with it, and settle peace issues in bilateral talks.
The verdict calls for the United States to immediately withdraw its 37,000 troops in the South and end political pressure, sanctions and "psychological warfare" against North Korea, KCNA reported.
It said the "trial" of the 11 U.S. leaders -- and all U.S. foreign policy, military and intelligence officials dating back to 1950 -- was endorsed by "democratic international organizations, progressive anti-war peace organizations, justice-loving individual figures and lawyers."
The purported trial in absentia opened in Pyongyang Wednesday, as the isolated communist state appeared to be inching toward a new round of talks with the United States, China and other neighbors over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Soviet-backed North Korea launched the Korean War with a surprise invasion of the South on June 25, 1950. President Truman rallied the United Nations to send troops from 16 countries to reverse the communist takeover of the South.
At talks leading to the truce signed 50 years ago Sunday, North Korea acknowledged that there were no foreign troops in South Korea at the time of the June 25 invasion, but said the U.S.-led intervention "prevented the peaceful settlement of the internal problem of Korea," according to historic transcripts.
North Korea officially maintains it was the victim and the victor in a war started by the United States.
"The U.S. provoked the Korean War and has made persistent attempts to ignite another war," said the Pyongyang indictment, which also accused U.S. presidents of drug trafficking, human rights abuses and violating nuclear disarmament agreements.
North Korea calls July 27 the "Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War," and KCNA says the anniversary is being celebrated as far away as Uganda and Peru.
~~~~~~~~~
Somehow, none of this surprises me.
I think it was Bruzilla (?) who said they were broke and looking for money. Well, that prediction is coming true.
The "International tribunal on U.S. crimes" Friday pronounced President Bush and his 10 predecessors going back to Harry S. Truman guilty of crimes against the U.N. charter, human rights declarations and "the principles of the military tribunal of Nuremberg" among others.
"The U.S. government must make an official apology for all its criminal acts in Korea, and make due compensation for physical, mental and material losses inflicted upon the Korean people," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted the verdict as saying.
Those responsible for the "crimes" should "be sentenced to criminal punishment" and the U.S. Congress should "investigate and address this issue," it said.
The tribunal also repeated Pyongyang's official position that Washington "abandon its hostile policy toward the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), sign a nonaggression treaty with it, and settle peace issues in bilateral talks.
The verdict calls for the United States to immediately withdraw its 37,000 troops in the South and end political pressure, sanctions and "psychological warfare" against North Korea, KCNA reported.
It said the "trial" of the 11 U.S. leaders -- and all U.S. foreign policy, military and intelligence officials dating back to 1950 -- was endorsed by "democratic international organizations, progressive anti-war peace organizations, justice-loving individual figures and lawyers."
The purported trial in absentia opened in Pyongyang Wednesday, as the isolated communist state appeared to be inching toward a new round of talks with the United States, China and other neighbors over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Soviet-backed North Korea launched the Korean War with a surprise invasion of the South on June 25, 1950. President Truman rallied the United Nations to send troops from 16 countries to reverse the communist takeover of the South.
At talks leading to the truce signed 50 years ago Sunday, North Korea acknowledged that there were no foreign troops in South Korea at the time of the June 25 invasion, but said the U.S.-led intervention "prevented the peaceful settlement of the internal problem of Korea," according to historic transcripts.
North Korea officially maintains it was the victim and the victor in a war started by the United States.
"The U.S. provoked the Korean War and has made persistent attempts to ignite another war," said the Pyongyang indictment, which also accused U.S. presidents of drug trafficking, human rights abuses and violating nuclear disarmament agreements.
North Korea calls July 27 the "Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War," and KCNA says the anniversary is being celebrated as far away as Uganda and Peru.
~~~~~~~~~
Somehow, none of this surprises me.
I think it was Bruzilla (?) who said they were broke and looking for money. Well, that prediction is coming true.