NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news in North Korea this week.
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(2nd LD) S. Korea, Japan agree to bolster security cooperation against N.K. threats
VIENTIANE -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held their first meeting in Laos on Thursday and agreed to strengthen security cooperation against North Korean threats amid its growing military ties with Russia.
Yoon and Ishiba met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, just nine days after Ishiba took over as Japan's leader, amid improved relations since last year thanks in part to a close relationship between Yoon and Ishiba's predecessor, Fumio Kishida.
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(LEAD) Senior diplomats of S. Korea, U.S., Japan stress close cooperation over N.K. threats, diplomacy in phone call
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- Senior diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan emphasized the importance of close trilateral cooperation in countering North Korean threats and restarting diplomacy with the recalcitrant regime during their phone talks this week, the State Department said Wednesday.
South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister for Strategy and Intelligence Cho Koo-rae, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Hiroyuki Namazu, the director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs at Japan's foreign ministry, held the talks on Tuesday.
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(LEAD) Yoon says unified, nuclear-free Korean Peninsula would benefit Indo-Pacific
SINGAPORE -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday a unified, nuclear-free Korean Peninsula would contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and unlock new opportunities across a large, interconnected market.
Yoon introduced his vision for unification with North Korea based on liberal democracy during a special lecture in Singapore to drum up international support for his so-called Unification Doctrine, first unveiled in August.
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U.S. continues to monitor N. Korea's support for Russia: Pentagon
WASHINGTON -- The United States continues to monitor North Korea's support for Russia, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, following a news report that six North Korean military officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk last week.
Ukrainian media released the report, reinforcing speculation that Pyongyang could even deploy troops in support of Russia in the protracted war against Ukraine, in addition to sending munitions, ballistic missiles and other equipment to Moscow.
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(LEAD) N. Korea likely to send troops to Ukraine in support of Russia: S. Korea's defense chief
SEOUL -- North Korea is likely to deploy members of its regular armed forces to Ukraine in support of Russia, South Korea's defense chief said Tuesday, in the latest sign of deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The assessment came as North Korea has been seeking to bolster ties with Russia, highlighted by a bilateral agreement that includes a mutual defense clause, signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at summit talks in June.
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(LEAD) Military detects apparent signs of N. Korea building possible nuclear-powered submarine: lawmaker
SEOUL -- The military has detected apparent signs that North Korea has started to build a possible nuclear-powered submarine, a lawmaker said Tuesday, amid concerns over Pyongyang's push to acquire advanced weapons.
In January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a project to build a nuclear-powered submarine after vowing to develop such a submarine among other sophisticated weapons systems during a ruling party congress in 2021.
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N. Korea appears to focus on restoring ties with China: unification ministry
SEOUL -- North Korea appears to be shifting its foreign policy focus toward restoring relations with its long-time ally, China, after designating this year to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry handling inter-Korean relations submitted the assessment to parliament for an annual parliamentary inspection.
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