On April 16, 2017, in his weekly show on state-owned Russia 1 TV channel pro-Kremlin journalist Dmitry Kiselyov compared U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Kremlin immediately distanced itself from Kiselyov's remarks. However opposition journalist Vladmir Kara-Murza stated that all Kiselyov's opening remarks are written by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and the General Director of All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, Oleg Dobrodeyev.

Meanwhile, pro-Kremlin most popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published promoted content supplied by the North Koreans glorifying North Korea's founder Kim Il-Sung.

On April 19, Russia blocked a draft U.S. statement in the UN Security Council condemning the latest North Korean missile launch test.[1]



Dmitry Kiselyov (Source: Youtube.com)

Kiselyov: 'Trump Is More Impulsive And Unpredictable Than Kim Jong-un'

Commenting on North Korea tensions, Kiselyov said in his show Vesti Nedeli: "North Korea requests to halt provocations since – as they say [in Pyongyang] – it will respond with total war measures in case total war is waged against it. The tensions around the Peninsula during this weekend are skyrocketing. Kim Jong-un, apparently, does not give a damn about Trump's tweets regarding 'Mother of All Bombs,' which he [Trump] used in Afghanistan. After all, Kim is settled in his homeland and is not going to attack anyone for no simple reason, but he is ready to respond fully and to raise the stakes. Now it's a war of nerves.

"Who wins? The risks are so high, that the previous Korean war, a bloody butchery with millions of victims, looks like a small grade backyard quarrel. At the moment the world is at the verge of nuclear war with all the catastrophic consequences it entails. The war may erupt as a result of the confrontation between two personalities: Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Both are dangerous. But which one of them is even more dangerous? My take is that Trump is the more dangerous. Here are the reasons: first – Kim is ready for negotiations, while Trump is not. Second: Kim has hitherto not committed any real aggressive act against any [other] country. His missiles – though they have been launched – have never targeted any specific military objective. Trump, in contrast, executed a massive missile strike against Syria last week,[2] while no evidence of Syria's guilt had been presented. Thus, Trump is more impulsive and unpredictable than Kim Jong-un…"

(Rossiya 24's YouTube channel, April 16, 2017)



Kim Jong-Un (Source: Vk.com/politics_today, April 14, 2017)

The Kremlin Distances Itself From Kiselyov's Remarks

According to presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Kiselyov's remarks aired on state owned TV do not coincide with the Kremlin's position. Kiselyov stated: "[The positions expressed] are usually close [to the Kremlin's], but not every time. In many respects, it is the author Kiselyov's program. He's a renowned analyst with his own personal point of view, with his own political and global outlook. That's why his viewpoints shouldn't be equated with the official position."

(Interfax.ru, April 17, 2017)

Opposition Journalist Kara-Murza: Kiselyov's Remarks Are Written By The Kremlin

According to Russian opposition politician, TV host and journalist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Peskov's comments are an attempt to protect Kiselyov, who had gone too far. Kara-Murza stated:" Kiselyov works for a state-owned TV channel, which is funded for 100% by the state budget – there is no way a personal author's opinion exists there. Moreover, he heads the state news agency RIA-news with 100% state funding. That's why all his opening remarks and the texts are written by Peskov himself and by [Oleg] Dobrodeyev [channel's CEO]."

(Sobesednik.ru, April 18, 2017)

North Korea displayed a video simulating an attack on the U.S.."

Trump: "Where can I download it for watching?"

Kim Jong-un: "I can just drop it by."

(Source: Vk.com/politics_today)

Komsomolskaya Pravda Publishes Article Glorifying North Korea's Founder Kim Il-Sung

Pro-Kremlin most popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published, both in its regional and online editions,[3] a long article glorifying the legacy of North Korea's founder Kim Il-Sung (Kim Jong-Un's grandfather), signed by a person named Lee Kwan Cher. The tabloid specified at the end of the article that it was published as paid content (advertisement). Nevertheless, the article is in itself remarkable due to its propagandistic nature, defining Kim Il-sung as "the greatest man of the century." One of the sentences in the article reads: "Kim Il-sung’s burning love for mankind and his boundless, all-embracing graciousness was addressed not just to Koreans, but to all the world's people, irrespective of nationality, religion, and political beliefs." To believe the article, Kim's contribution surpasses the combined contribution of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. The article concludes: "Even the politicians of countries hostile to North Korea bow their heads in the light of Kim Il-Sung's high moral values. President Kim Il Sung lives forever in the people's hearts."

(Nsk.kp.ru, April 14, 2017)

Later in the week, Komsomolskaya Pravda published another article glorifying the North Korean regime and Kim Il-sung. The article, titled "The Flower By The Name Of The Great Man," is not identified as an advertisement. The concludes with the same laudatory words: "Kim Il-sung lives forever in the hearts of the people of the world."

(Irk.kp.ru, April 22, 2017)

Komsomolskaya Pravda's general director and chief editor, Vladimir Sungorkin, admitted that the content was provided by a "North Korean organization" adding that he sees nothing awful about paid content of this kind, which is published annually. Sungorkin called those articles "political exotica for gourmands."

(Rbc.ru, April 19, 2017)