NK weekly-inter-Korean news
Summary of inter-Korean news this week
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.
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(LEAD) NK leader calls S. Korea 'foreign country,' 'hostile country,' warns of using physical force
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has referred to South Korea as "a foreign country and an apparent hostile country," warning that physical force will be used if the North's sovereignty is violated, state media reported Friday.
The remarks were made during his inspection of the headquarters of the 2nd Corps of the Korean People's Army on Thursday, two days after Pyongyang blew up roads and railways connected to South Korea that were once considered key symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation.
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NK leader's sister says photo comes from foreign media, not S. Korean military
SEOUL -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday dismissed South Korea's claim that North Korea's state media may have used a South Korean photo showing North Korea's demolition of parts of inter-Korean roads.
On Thursday, North Korea's state media released photos of railways and roads -- once considered key symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation -- being destroyed. One of the images appeared similar to footage previously shared by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
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Seoul official calls Korean Peninsula unification 'moral" obligation
WASHINGTON -- South Korea's point man on inter-Korean affairs described the unification of the Korean Peninsula as a "moral" obligation on Thursday as North Korea has shunned the idea of unification and defined the South as a "hostile" state in its constitution.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho made the remarks during a lecture in Washington, after Pyongyang's state media confirmed this week that the reclusive state's basic law "clearly" codifies South Korea as a hostile nation rather than a partner for cooperation.
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S. Korean military not investigating alleged drone flights over Pyongyang
SEOUL -- South Korea's military said Thursday it is not investigating the alleged flight of South Korean drones over North Korea's capital earlier this month, describing it as a matter to be clarified by the North.
Last Friday, North Korea accused the South of sending drones over Pyongyang three times this month in what it described as a "serious provocation." South Korea has declined to confirm whether it sent the drones.
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(LEAD) S. Korea 'closely' monitoring possibility of N. Korea sending troops for Ukraine war
SEOUL -- The defense ministry said Wednesday it is "closely" monitoring for signs of North Korea possibly sending troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, following media reports of Russia forming a battalion of North Koreans.
Ukrainian media outlets earlier reported that Russia is organizing a special battalion that is expected to include up to 3,000 North Koreans due to manpower shortages amid concerns over deepening military cooperation between the two countries.
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(3rd LD) N. Korea blows up inter-Korean roads, cuts off land routes with South
SEOUL -- North Korea on Tuesday blew up roads connected to South Korea once seen as symbols of inter-Korean cooperation as it seeks to cement its animosity toward the South, which it regards as a "primary foe."
"The North Korean military conducted detonations, assumed to be aimed at cutting off the Gyeongui and Donghae roads, at around noon and is carrying out additional activities using heavy equipment," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message to reporters.
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(LEAD) S. Korea condemns N. Korea's detonation of inter-Korean roads as 'very abnormal' act
SEOUL -- South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday "strongly" condemned North Korea's blowing up of parts of inter-Korean roads as a clear violation of an inter-Korean agreement and a "very abnormal" act.
The ministry issued the statement after North Korea detonated parts of the Gyeongui and Donghae roads north of the inter-Korean border around noon on Tuesday. In August, the North cut off the Gyeongui and Donghae railways.
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(LEAD) N. Korean leader's sister accuses S. Korean military of flying drones over Pyongyang
SEOUL -- Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accused the South Korean military on Monday of sending unmanned drones carrying leaflets over Pyongyang in recent days, while also blaming the United States for the incident.
"We clearly know that the main culprit behind the Pyongyang drone incident is the trash of the South Korean military," Kim said in a statement carried by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency.
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