NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.
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S. Korea holds live-fire ballistic missile drills after N. Korean missile launches
SEOUL -- South Korea fired a Hyunmoo-II surface-to-surface ballistic missile into the Yellow Sea this week in a show of force after North Korea's recent series of missile launches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.
The live-fire exercise took place Thursday in the western coastal county of Taean, 108 kilometers southwest of Seoul, days after North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday and a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.
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(LEAD) Putin notes possibility of joint military exercises between N. Korea, Russia: TASS
WASHINGTON -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mentioned the possibility of Russia and North Korea holding joint military exercises, TASS reported, amid growing concerns about deepening military cooperation between the two countries.
Putin made the remarks, citing the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty that he signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his trip to Pyongyang in June. The treaty includes a mutual defense clause in what is seen as a revival of the two countries' Cold War-era military alliance.
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Yoon, NATO chief discuss joint responses against N. Korea's troop deployment to Russia
SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte held a phone conversation Wednesday to discuss coordinated responses to North Korea's troop deployment to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine.
Yoon held his third phone talks with Rutte in less than a month, following a South Korean delegation's recent visit to NATO, the European Union and Ukraine to discuss North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia.
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Russia's parliament ratifies bilateral treaty with N. Korea
SEOUL -- Russia's upper house of parliament ratified a treaty with North Korea on Wednesday that calls for establishing a mutual commitment to provide military assistance to each other in the event of an armed attack, Russian media reported.
The Federation Council ratified the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty unanimously, following its signing at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June.
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S. Korea stages live-fire missile interception drills after N.K. missile launches
SEOUL -- South Korea conducted live-fire missile interception drills Wednesday in a show of its air defense capabilities, a day after North Korea fired ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
The drills, involving the Cheongung-II and Patriot air defense systems, took place in a western coastal area after the North fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday, according to the JCS.
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(LEAD) Ukraine's Zelenskyy confirms first combat engagement with N. Korean troops
SEOUL -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the Ukrainian military's first combat engagement with North Korean troops, saying it opened a new chapter of instability in the world.
Zelenskyy, in a video address posted on the Ukrainian president's official website Tuesday (local time), said, "The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world."
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(LEAD) FM Cho calls on U.N. officials to demand immediate withdrawal of N.K. troops from Russia
SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul has called on visiting United Nations officials to deliver "stern" messages for an immediate withdrawal of North Korean troops from Russia and the cessation of their "illegal" military cooperation, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.
In his meeting with U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Cho said the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and threatens the international community's peace and stability.
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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan stage joint air drills with B-1B bomber after N.K. ICBM launch
SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan held combined air drills, involving a B-1B bomber, south of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday, the South's military said, in a show of force after North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch last week.
The trilateral drills took place over waters east of South Korea's southern island of Jeju amid heightened tensions after the North fired the new Hwasong-19 ICBM into the East Sea on Thursday in its first launch of a long-range ballistic missile this year.
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