N.Korea Hits Back at Criticism of Military Parade

North Korea came back swinging at international condemnation of its plan to stage a military parade on the eve of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

"If you are that frightened by our event to commemorate the founding of our military on Feb. 8, why did you not schedule the Olympics some other time?" fumed the state-run Rodong Sinmun daily on Saturday.

For the last 40 years, North Korea has celebrated the founding of its military on April 25. It only announced on Jan. 22 that the day will now be moved to Feb. 8. Even North Korean calendars for this year still mark April 25 as the anniversary.

"South Korea's puppet conservative party should fault the U.S. military scheme that deploys anti-nuclear submarines around the Korean Peninsula, rather than picking a quarrel with us," the paper thundered.

The North Korean propaganda machine has been busy trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and South Korea but has failed to win over the South Korean public.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement on Saturday dismissing U.S. President Donald Trump's State of the Union address as "the height of Trump-style arrogance, arbitrariness and self-conceit" and said he only wants to interfere with improving inter-Korean relations.

"Our self-reliant defense capability with the nuclear force as its backbone will, however, completely deter Trump and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

Meanwhile, North Korea Sunday proposed sending 140 performers from the Samjiyon Orchestra to South Korea by ferry on Tuesday, a government official said Monday, amid concerns that sea travel could breach South Korean sanctions.