NK weekly-inter-Korean news

Summary of inter-Korean news this week

SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.

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More info needed on link between loudspeaker broadcasts, N. Korean's defection: military

SEOUL -- South Korea's military said Friday that further analysis is necessary to determine whether South Korea's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts affected the recent defection of a North Korean amid speculation the anti-Pyongyang campaign may have prompted the person to flee the North.

On Thursday, a North Korean individual crossed the neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border and arrived at South Korea's Gyodong Island off the west coast in what marked the first known defection of a North Korean in the border area since October last year.

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(LEAD) 1 N. Korean defects through 'neutral waters' between 2 Koreas: military sources

SEOUL -- A North Korean defected to South Korea on Thursday by crossing "neutral waters" between the two Koreas, multiple military sources said.

The individual crossed the neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border and arrived at South Korea's Gyodong Island off the west coast early Thursday and expressed intent to defect, according to the sources.

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Gov't draws up measures to better support N. Korean defectors

SEOUL -- The unification ministry on Thursday approved a package of support measures aimed at helping North Korean defectors better adjust to life in South Korea.

The measures, approved in an interagency meeting, include giving priority child care assistance to working mothers and expanding education support for children of defectors born overseas, according to the ministry.

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N. Korea continues to install mines, barriers inside DMZ despite downpours

SEOUL -- North Korea has continued to install land mines and barriers within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas despite recent heavy downpours and mine explosions, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.

North Korea has deployed large numbers of troops in front-line areas to plant mines and erect walls presumed to be anti-tank barriers since April, according to South Korean military officials.

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Yoon expected to unveil new unification vision in Liberation Day speech

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to unveil the government's new vision for unification between the two Koreas when he addresses the nation on Liberation Day later this month, ruling party officials said Wednesday.

Yoon plans to lay out the initiative during his speech next Thursday in an update to the National Community Unification Formula, South Korea's official unification vision unveiled in August 1994 under the administration of late President Kim Young-sam, according to the officials.

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Top military officer calls for 'stern' action in event of N.K. provocation

SEOUL -- South Korea's top military officer on Tuesday called for "stern" action in the event of a North Korean provocation as he visited a command overseeing border island units in the Yellow Sea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo renewed the call at the North West Islands Defense Command in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, citing increasing North Korean threats, according to his office.

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Authorities issue warning against N. Korean hackers trying to steal construction, machinery data

SEOUL -- Cybersecurity authorities on Monday issued a joint warning against North Korean hackers trying to steal construction and machinery data in South Korea.

The Korea Cybersecurity Intelligence Community, which includes the spy agency, prosecution, police and military, said North Korean hackers have targeted such information to help build plants and develop cities in the North.

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