North Korea on Tuesday criticized Japan for allowing the use of its imperial flag during next year's Summer Olympics, calling it an attempt to revive its past militarism.

The Rodong Sinmun, the official paper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary that the use of the Rising Sun flag would be an "unbearable insult" to the people of countries that were forced into unhappiness and pain by Imperial Japan's colonial ambitions.

The state-run paper added that displaying the flag is a mockery of the Olympic spirit that supports peace and friendship. 

The paper denounced Japan for trying to turn the Olympics into a "political propaganda stage," claiming that the intention behind the move is to revive Japan's past militarism.

The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has said that it would not prevent spectators from wearing or displaying the Rising Sun flag, arguing that it is a widely used item in the country.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and Olympics Minister Seiko Hashmoto have dismissed calls for banning the flag despite growing negative sentiment over its use.

[Photo : KBS News]