PYONGYANG, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sunday slammed the United States for pulling out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a commentary that the withdrawal of United States from UNESCO is "the height of the extreme U.S.-style egoism and arrogance as it does not mind sacrificing global peace and civilization for its own interests."
It also pointed out that it is the second time United States quitted the organization, which has become "more expressive after Donald Trump took office."
The United States had withdrawn from the organization in 1984, complaining about its discussion on the issue of establishing the fair international information and communication order, and signed up for the body again in 2003.
The commentary said that the United States pulled out of UNESCO "under the pretexts of its dues worth hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars it has not paid until now and the UNESCO's increasing voices denouncing Israel."
The commentary also said that Washington has refused to pay its dues to UNESCO since 2011 after Palestine joined the organization, using excuse of its domestic law which bans financial backing for organizations recognizing Palestine as a state.
"Now the international community unanimously condemns the United States for going in and out of UNESCO," it added, "this time it withdrew from UNESCO, utterly depriving itself of any justification to talk about global peace, security and civilization."
The United States on Thursday informed UNESCO that it would formally withdraw from the organization on Dec. 31, 2018.
