North Korea has issued an imaginary letter from 16th US President Abraham Lincoln to grill Barack Obama over the Unites States nuclear policies.
Titled Advice from Lincoln to Obama, the letter censures the US “deception” in its stance towards Pyongyang’s nuclear program while maintaining an extensive nuclear arsenal, by impersonating the late president.
In the imaginary letter, the prominent US president derides Obama for his nuclear policies.
"Hey, Obama," it begins. "I know you have a lot on your mind these days ... I've decided to give you a little advice after seeing you lost in thought before my portrait during a recent Easter Prayer Breakfast," it continues apparently referring to the picture below.
The assassinated president, who sounds like someone from our time rather than the 19th century, continues, "Hey, Obama, it’s the 21st Century. The tactic by past American presidents, including me, who deceived the people…is outdated. That doesn’t work now. The world doesn’t trust an America that doesn’t take responsibility for what it says."
Pyongyang’s irreverent message was not limited to the letter as the reclusive state also declassified unprecedented exacting details of its weapons development program.
After recent nuclear tests, there have been efforts aimed at verifying them, making information on the country’s true capabilities scarce.
The North has now published articles with technicolor photographic details on its tests.
"Close-up pictures of ground test activities are almost unprecedented from the DPRK," John Schilling, an aerospace engineer specializing in satellite and launch vehicle propulsion systems, told Reuters. "The openness suggests that the underlying strategy is as much diplomatic as military: it is important to Pyongyang not only that they have these capabilities, but that we believe they have these capabilities.”
Last month, the UN Security Council imposed its “toughest” sanctions on North Korea, targeting the country’s military, mining, trade, and financial sectors. But the North responded by firing a number of rockets into the waters off its eastern coast on several occasions.
"The revelations, pronouncements and 'tests' appear to be part of a campaign to establish the narrative that Pyongyang has, or will soon have, a nuclear-armed, long-range missile that could threaten the U.S. mainland," Schilling said.