North Korean state media this week made its first mention of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe since his assassination in July. But it mostly used his death as a jumping-off point to criticize South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, whom Pyongyang has repeatedly attacked since the ROK leader proposed a plan to denuclearize North Korea earlier this month. 

The anti-Japanese sentiment is a fundamental part of North Korean nationalism, and Abe was particularly disliked for his staunch pro-sanctions policy and his efforts to hold North Korea accountable for kidnapping multiple Japanese citizens in the 1960s and 70s