North Korea has once again given the world a gem of DPRK-speak. In response to 7 December comments by the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Alexander Vershbow, who described North Korea as a “criminal regime” that engages in drug smuggling and counterfeiting, the North announced:

… the U.S. ambassador to Seoul, who labeled Pyongyang “a criminal regime”, was the worst ambassador in history and should be recalled…

North Korea blasted the comments on Sunday, saying the remark was a declaration of war that had killed the spirit of six-party talks… calling [Vershbow] the “governor general” of a colony and… “Ambassador Vershbow is the most bitchy and malignant ambassador in history… We doubt whether Ambassador Vershbow has enough knowledge about the DPRK to make such comments…”

“The Korean nation will certainly suffer greater misfortune if Bershbow is allowed to behave as he pleases. He had better apologize for his malarkey to the DPRK and go back to his country as early as possible…”

Being the gulag masters that they are, the North Koreans have a diabolic punishment in mind for Vershbow:

South Koreans should force him to stand in the midst of Seoul’s notorious downtown traffic, and then “punish him in the name of the nation and immediately expel him from their land.”

A member of the South’s National Assembly evidently agrees with the North, on expelling Vershbow at least:

Rep. Kim Won-wung of the ruling Uri Party warned that he would introduce a resolution, demanding Washington recall Vershbow.

“It is regrettable that Ambassador Vershbow’s statements went too far,’’ the speaker said during an interview with a KBS radio program. “His remarks were not appropriate for an ambassador to South Korea, which is endeavoring to stabilize peace on the Korean Peninsula.’’

I will translate to reality-speak: ‘don’t speak the truth about North Korea, thanks.’ That is what is truly ‘regrettable.’

I suggest the OneFreeKorea blog as the most thorough source on current DPRK human rights issues, which necessarily paints a pretty bad picture of the South’s policy in this area.