North Korea offers rare thanks to US for help
Seoul,
Nov
9:
North
Korea
offered
a
rare
note
of
thanks
to
long-time
foe
the
United
States
for
helping
its
sailors
fend
off
an
attack
by
pirates
off
the
coast
of
Somalia.
''We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen,'' the North's official news agency said in a report late yesterday.
''This case serves as a symbol of the DPRK-US cooperation in the struggle against terrorism,'' it said.
DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
In an incident in late October, the United States dispatched a destroyer to help a North Korean cargo ship, which had sent out a distress signal after it had been raided by pirates.
US sailors also help tend to wounded North Koreans.
North Korea's official media regularly blasts the United States military, charging it with being hostile to its leaders and planning an attack against it.
South Korean officials have told local media this unusual US-North Korean cooperation could help international talks to rid the North of nuclear weapons by showing the United states was willing to help North Koreans in danger.
Christopher
Hill,
the
top
US
envoy
to
the
nuclear
talks,
said
last
week:
''You
will
always
find
our
Navy
prepared
to
help
any
ship
in
distress.
I
hope
the
DPRK
understands
that
we
do
this
out
of
a
sense
of
goodwill.''
Reuters
>