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| ▲ This image of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrested in a U.S. military operation in Caracas, Venezuela, was captured from U.S. President Donald Trump's Truth Social account on Jan. 4, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
N Korea-Maduro
Seoul says N. Korea's condemnation of Maduro's capture part of anti-U.S. solidarity
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's recent condemnation of the United States' capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appears to be part of its solidarity with countries opposed to Washington, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday.
The remarks by unification ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho were in response to a statement by the North Korean foreign ministry Sunday, which "strongly" denounced Maduro's capture as "the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty and as a wanton violation of the U.N. Charter and international laws."
The ministry views the statement as "an extension of (Pyongyang's) criticism of the U.S. on (various) issues as part of anti-U.S. solidarity," Yoon said.
The spokesperson recalled Pyongyang's criticism of Washington in June last year, when the U.S. launched military strikes against Iran's nuclear sites. At that time, the North denounced the attack as a violation of a sovereign state's security interests and territorial integrity.
"The latest North Korean reaction is very similar to that issued in June last year, when the U.S. attacked Iran," he said, noting shared anti-U.S. sentiment among the countries as the backdrop for Sunday's statement.
North Korea is known to have close ties with both Iran and Venezuela, countries opposed to Washington.
Maduro and his wife were captured at their compound in a large-scale U.S. strike in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital Saturday, and were transported to the U.S. to face weapons and drug charges in New York.
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