Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news in North Korea this week.

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N. Korea raises number of criminal charges subject to death penalty: report

SEOUL -- North Korea has increased the number of criminal charges subject to the death penalty to 16 from 11 by revising the penal code several times between 2022 and 2023, a report showed Friday.

Since revising the criminal law in May 2022, North Korea has further amended it three times, including the latest revision in December 2023, according to the report by the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU).

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Expanding access to information in N. Korea is 'key pillar' of U.S. policy: U.S. envoy

WASHINGTON -- Increasing access to information in North Korea is a key pillar of Washington's policy on the reclusive state, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights said Thursday, noting "informed" people can help promote security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

Ambassador Julie Turner made the remarks during an online hearing that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom held to discuss religious freedom in the North, North Korean refugees and policy options for the U.S. government.

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Ex-Trump official calls for S. Korea to raise defense spending to 3 or 3.5 pct of GDP

WASHINGTON -- A former U.S. national security advisor stressed the need Thursday for South Korea to increase its defense spending to 3 percent or 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), as Seoul and Washington are in negotiations over a defense cost-sharing deal.

Robert O'Brien, who served as national security advisor for former President Donald Trump from 2019-2021, made the remarks, as South Korea and the United States are holding their eighth round of negotiations in Seoul this week to determine Seoul's share of the cost for the stationing of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

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N. Korea may conduct nuclear test after U.S. election: spy agency

SEOUL -- North Korea may carry out its seventh nuclear test after the U.S. presidential vote in November, South Korea's spy agency was quoted as telling lawmakers Thursday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment to the parliamentary intelligence committee, saying Pyongyang has other options, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile test, according to Rep. Lee Seong-Kweun of the ruling People Power Party and Rep. Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party.

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(LEAD) S. Korean FM cites N. Korea-Russia arms transactions as case of UNSC 'limitations'

WASHINGTON -- South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Wednesday pointed out "limitations" of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) in effectively addressing pressing security issues, citing North Korea's transfers of weapons to Russia in breach of relevant UNSC resolutions.

Cho made the remarks during a UNSC open debate on the leadership for peace, where high-level participants discussed a range of issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East and the civil war in Sudan.

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S. Korea, U.S. recognize need for coordinated response to N. Korea's 'gray zone' provocations

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States on Tuesday recognized the need for a coordinated response to North Korea's "gray zone" provocations during their regular defense talks this week, Seoul's defense ministry said.

Deputy Minister for Defense Policy Cho Chang-rae and Anka Lee, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, discussed the issue during the two-day Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue that ended earlier in the day in Seoul.

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