I just have to chuckle at the issues that people jump on to criticize our government to support their own agendas. In this case Mr. Epstein is throwing stones in a glass house.  If he really wants to be consistent with his theme then he should not be capitalizing the "n" in north Korea.  In his haste to denigrate the State Department spokesperson ("Spox") he provides north Korea with equal legitimacy to South Korea (or the ROK) by capitalizing the "n." Perhaps Mr. Epstein out to find something more substantive to comment on.

V/R

Dave

State Department Spox Calls North Korea the ‘DPRK’

Joins China Daily, Pravda, and KCNA.

4:03 PM, AUG 30, 2013 • BY ETHAN EPSTEIN

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/state-department-spox-calls-north-korea-dprk_751470.html

When it comes to North Korea, it’s helpful to keep a simple rule of thumb in mind: don’t trust anybody who refers to the country as the “DPRK.” (That would be the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” the country’s official – and yes, bleakly ironic – name.) Calling North Korea the “DPRK” is not only woefully misleading – there’s nothing democratic, republican, or people-oriented about the brutal dictatorship – but it also lends legitimacy to the ruling regime. It’s little surprise that those who call North Korea the “DPRK” constitute a real rogue’s gallery: the China Daily and Xinhua, China’s state-run news sources, both do so, as does Moscow’s Pravda, and of course KCNA, the North Korean news service. Non-authoritarian news sources, meanwhile call a spade a spade. Heck, even the New York Times always refers to North Korea as North Korea. 

It would appear, however, that our own State Department does not. In an announcement today that North Korea has rescinded an invitation for a visit to a U.S. envoy, State Department spokesman Marie Harf first said in a written statement that she was "surprised and disappointed by North Korea's decision" before adding, "We have sought clarification from the DPRK about its decision and have made every effort so that Ambassador King's trip could continue as planned or take place at a later date.”

(Continued at the link below)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/state-department-spox-calls-north-korea-dprk_751470.html