North Korean Officials Accuse Their Only Ally Of 'Being In Bed With Imperialists' In An Internal Memo
The statement was allegedly issued in April during internal party lectures. The decree was particularly inflammatory in its attacks against Xi Jinping, the president of the People's Republic of China.
The lecture materials stated that 'Xi Jinping is a figure who regards the suffering of the Cultural Revolution as resulting from the repressive nature of the Chinese Communist Party', and went on to say that 'China is a bad neighbor that slanders even our nuclear self-defence capabilities, by taking sides with the US'.
The edict also alleged that China, "which is enjoying being in bed with the imperialists and dreaming dreams with them, is even openly critical of our nuclear defense capabilities."
China and South Korea agreed in May that the nuclear ambitions of North Korea posed a serious threat to regional security. China couched its agreement in a warning that all of the Korean peninsula should remain nuclear-free.
In response to the memo, North Korea's Central Party Committee has commanded that companies decrease trade with China and expand trade with Russia.
This sudden order could cause even more economic problems for North Korea.
China accounted for 67.2% of North Korea's exports and 61.6% of imports in 2011. In contrast, South Korea, North Korea's only other neighbor, accounted for 19.4% of exports and 20% of imports. Given these figures, it is unlikely that North Korea's already hobbled economy could successfully transition from its dependence on China.