North Korea's official newspaper on Monday urged its people not to have illusions about imperialism in order to safeguard socialism.
The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers' Party, said in an editorial that capitalism and a bourgeois life fundamentally go against socialism and are "like a cancer."
"Imperialists are desperately touting peace campaign and appeasement policy after their invasion policy against socialist countries failed. These are their cunning plot to accomplish their invasion ambition through the economic and cultural space," the newspaper said.
(Yonhap)
"The imperialists' hostility, as seen in their bid to force (socialism) to surrender by means of military threats and savage sanctions and blockade, is beyond imagination. Possession of even a speck of illusion for imperialism will endanger socialism."
Watchers say that the "imperialism" mentioned by the North Korean newspaper refers to the United States and the West and the editorial seems to reflect Pyongyang's concern that misconceptions about the US could spread among North Koreans as it holds talks on denuclearization and improving its relationship with Washington.
The newspaper then noted that non-socialist factors tend to rear their head particularly in times of difficulty in economic development caused by sanctions.
"Capitalism and a bourgeois lifestyle are like a cancer. Overlooking them is a first step towards giving up socialism," the paper argued.
In a separate editorial, the same newspaper contended that socialism is far superior to capitalism, saying inequality deepens in a capitalist society regardless of the accumulation of wealth. (Yonhap)
