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North Korea accuses U.S. of 'strangling' U.N.

North Korea criticized the United States for being in arrears on U.N. contributions on Thursday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
North Korea criticized the United States for being in arrears on U.N. contributions on Thursday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 16 (UPI) -- North Korea state media claimed Thursday the United States is "strangling" the United Nations by not paying its share of a regular budget.

Pyongyang-controlled newspaper Minju Choson said Washington is withholding contributions for political purposes.

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"The reason the United Nations is facing financial difficulties is because many of its members, including the United States, are not paying their U.N. dues."

Last October, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the international body faces a cash shortfall because of arrears, totaling $1.385 billion. The United States is responsible for 22 percent of the budget as the U.N.'s largest contributor.

On Thursday, the Minju Choson said Washington is "strangling the neck" of the U.N. in order for the organization to be "in compliance with the United States' global domination strategy."

The U.S. military recently confirmed plans to increase its presence in the Pacific to counter China.

North Korea's KCNA said Thursday the Pentagon's plans to deploy a specialized task force for the purposes of electronic, cyber and missile operations against China aims to "neutralize some of China's and Russia's capabilities."

Last Friday, U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said the new unit would be capable of hitting targets on land and at sea, using long-range precision weapons such as hypersonic missiles, according to Bloomberg.

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The United States enforced new sanctions against North Korea earlier this week, targeting Chinese and North Korean firms specializing in North Korean workers.

More changes are taking place online. Radio Free Asia reported YouTube recently shut down the account of Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda service targeting overseas audiences.

YouTube has previously suspended North Korean channels in 2017 and 2018.

A YouTube respresentative told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday the company is complying with all applicable sanctions and trade regulations surrounding content.

Accounts in violation of the Google subsidiary's terms of service or community guidelines would be terminated, the source said.

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