Vershbow links North Korea's dollar counterfeiting with Hitler's British currency fall

Yonhap News (South Korea) ^ | December 7, 2005 | Lee Chi-dong

[HAL9000]

In one of the strongest criticisms of North Korea yet by a U.S. official, Washington's top envoy to Seoul on Wednesday labeled the communist nation a criminal regime.

Alexander Vershbow even likened North Korea's counterfeiting of U.S. bills with that of actions by the late German dictator Adolf Hitler. North Korea gave no immediate response to the verbal attack.

"According to an observer, North Korea is the first regime that has done that since Adolf Hitler," the U.S. ambassador said in a breakfast meeting with senior journalists in Seoul.

During World War II, Nazi Germany mass-produced counterfeit British pounds to bring about the fall of the British currency in a clandestine exercise code-named "Operation Andrew."

Condemnation of the communist state and its "Dear Leader" by U.S. officials is not new.

President George W. Bush, in his 2002 state of union address, branded North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and pre-war Iraq.

He later dubbed North Korean leader Kim Jong-il a "pygmy."

In January this year, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice enraged North Koreans further by describing their nation as an "outpost of tyranny."

Adding to the tensions was U.S. President George W. Bush's renewed criticism last month of the North's leader.

In a meeting with Brazilian business leaders in the Latin American nation, Bush again referred to Kim as a "tyrant."

The U.S. envoy was guarded, however, when asked whether he agrees that Kim is a tyrant.

"Well, I'm not going to get into any label to describe Kim," he said.

Bur Vershbow's remarks labelling of it a criminal regime are expected to further damage the already chilled U.S.-North Korea relations, analysts here said.

The comments came at a sensitive time when the two sides are in an escalating standoff over Washington's implementation of financial sanctions on Pyongyang for its alleged international criminal activity.

In September, financial institutions in the U.S. suspended transactions with a Macau-based bank, Banco Delta Asia, after the U.S. Treasury Department accused it of distributing counterfeit U.S. dollars printed in North Korea.

The U.S. administration also froze the assets of eight U.S.-based entities, accusing them of being connected with North Korea's spread of weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea threatened to boycott the six-way talks on its nuclear weapons program unless the U.S. lifts the sanctions on financial institutions associated with North Korea.

"The U.S. should respect its dialogue partner," North Korea's main newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary published on Tuesday.

If Washington genuinely wants to see the six-party talks progress, it should take substantial measures to lift the financial sanctions against Pyongyang as early as possible, it added.

The Bush administration has rejected the demand, calling the measures a matter of law-enforcement and not something that can be subject to political bargaining.

The Washington-Pyongyang tension over the financial sanctions has put a damper on hopes for the six-party talks to resume sometime soon, analysts said.

Representatives from the U.S., China, Japan, Russia, and the two Koreas took part in the last round of Beijing-hosted talks in November where they agreed to meet again "at the earliest possible date."

Officials in Seoul expect the talks to recommence in January.

[Gordongekko909]

"Ah, but you have not yet seen my seekrit weapon: ARIK BAWDWIN!"

[Khurkris]

I am of the opinion that a back of the hand bitchslap coupled with a a "We know what you are doing - - STOP IT!" would be very succint in conveying our collective dis-pleasure.

[Kurt_Hectic]

"Well, I'm not going to get into any label to describe Kim," he said.

Just say it, man: "He is so RONERY!!!"...

[agere_contra]

You are worthress Arik Bawdrin!