US calls NKorea a criminal state

US calls NKorea a criminal state

Published Jun. 15, 2010 4:37 p.m. ET

The United States is calling North Korea a criminal state and saying the North is trying to steal South Korean TV signals of World Cup soccer matches.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters Tuesday that North Korea could have a normal, lawful relationship with its neighbors. But he says it chooses instead to ``try to steal or pirate a World Cup signal'' for the matches in South Africa.

The South Korean company that owns broadcast rights for the Korean peninsula questions how North Korea secured the footage.

But Asia's broadcasting union says it's providing North Korea with free live coverage of matches.

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Crowley says that North Korea is trying to steal itself forward rather than trying to do so through legal means.

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