N.K. says anti-Trump protests connected to anti-Park rallies

SEOUL, May 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's candlelight protests that called for the impeachment of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye boosted the spread of the public sentiment for the ouster of U.S. President Donald Trump, a North Korean paper claimed Monday.

"The protests against Trump took place one after the other in many places in the U.S. in February. ... Participants there cried out slogans, such as 'Trump should step down,' while saying they gained confidence that they could change their government from the impeachment rallies against Park in South Korea," the Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said in an analysis.

Citing an unidentified American scholar as forecasting that even Republicans will declare his impeachment as he lacks self-control, the daily said, "The developments in U.S. political circles are currently unfolding as if his prediction is magic."

The paper said the dismissal of James Comey, who had been leading a federal investigation into Trump's alleged connections with Russia, as FBI director early this month provided important momentum to create pro-impeachment public sentiment.

The mood for Trump's impeachment has further picked up steam in the wake of reports that he leaked classified information provided by a U.S. ally to Russian government officials during their recent meeting in Washington, the paper said.

"What is obvious is that Trump could become a miserable president who disappears from the political stage without fulfilling his tenure if he runs amok and fails to get a grasp of reality properly like he has now," the paper said.

(END)