North Korea denounces Biden's Asia trip

Days after the stunning execution of leader Kim Jong-un's once-powerful uncle, North Korea belatedly took issue with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's recent trip to Northeast Asia, calling it part of Washington's scheme to contain Pyongyang militarily. "It is the U.S. final aim to contain the DPRK and its neighboring countries by force of arms and hold supremacy in Northeast Asia and, furthermore, realize its ambition for world domination," the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Biden had visited South Korea, Japan and China from Dec. 2-7, during which he discussed a wide range of topics, including North Korea. The North Korean newspaper claimed that Biden's trip had been partly aimed at tightening its military alliance with South Korea and Japan while also forging a relationship between its two Asian allies to serve its military ambition. "It was one of the objectives of Biden's visit this time to coordinate the relations between Japan and South Korea, its junior allies and servants," it said. Minju Joson, a newspaper published by the North's Cabinet, also joined in the anti-Biden criticism, saying, "We cannot but take a serious note of the anti-DPRK remarks made by Biden in South Korea." "Force of arms is not a monopoly of the U.S. and the DPRK will never be taken in by the poor trick of the U.S.," it said in a commentary also carried by the KCNA. North korea is in the midst of a major political upheaval after purging its leader's uncle, Jang Song-thaek, labeling him a "traitor." Jang was executed on Thursday after a military tribunal found him guilty of attempting to topple the communist regime, according to the North's media.