NK weekly-inter-Korean news
Summary of inter-Korean news this week
SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.
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76 pct of S. Koreans with separated families in N. Korea remain in the dark about relatives' fates: poll
SEOUL -- Nearly 76 percent of South Koreans who registered with the government having separated families in North Korea remain in the dark about whether their relatives in the North are alive, a recent survey showed Friday.
In the survey conducted last year by the unification ministry, 75.5 percent of the 5,103 South Koreans polled, who had registered having separated families in the North, responded that they were unable to confirm whether their relatives across the border were alive.
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S. Korea to develop Iron Dome-like interceptor against N.K. artillery by 2028
SEOUL -- South Korea on Monday officially began the development of a homegrown interceptor system akin to Israel's Iron Dome to bolster its defense against North Korean artillery threats, the state arms procurement agency said.
The government plans to spend 479.8 billion won (US$329 million) through 2028 to develop the Low-Altitude Missile Defense (LAMD) system designed to simultaneously intercept incoming artillery rounds, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
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(LEAD) S. Korea says Trump's mention of N. Korea as 'nuclear power' no different from his past policy
SEOUL -- The foreign ministry said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's reference to North Korea as a "nuclear power" aligns with his previous approach on the recalcitrant regime, suggesting that it should not be seen as his administration recognizing it as a nuclear-armed state.
In a press availability shortly after the swearing-in ceremony Monday (U.S. time), Trump called the North a "nuclear power" and that he "got along very well" with its leader Kim Jong-un, apparently referring to his direct engagement with him during the first term in office.
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