NK weekly-inter-Korean news

Summary of inter-Korean news this week

SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.

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S. Korea unveils monument hoping for return of 5 nationals abducted by N. Korea in 1970s

GUNSAN, South Korea -- South Korea on Friday unveiled a monument on a southwestern island in hopes of the safe return of five South Koreans abducted by North Korea in the 1970s, in the latest move to raise public awareness of the abductee issue.

North Korean agents kidnapped the five South Korean high school students from the Seonyu and Hong islands off the southwestern coast between 1977 and 1978, and they have yet to return home.

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S. Korea slaps sanctions on 7 N. Koreans, 2 Russian ships for illegal arms, fuel trade with Russia

SEOUL -- South Korea imposed Friday independent sanctions on seven North Koreans and two Russian vessels for engaging in illicit weapons and fuel trade with Russia and other activities in violation of U.N. sanctions.

The latest move came as South Korea seeks to step up efforts to curb the North's activities banned under multiple U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions after a U.N. panel monitoring the enforcement of North Korean sanctions ended at the end of last month after Russia vetoed the resolution on extending the panel's mandate.

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(Yonhap Feature) S. Korean border troops harness AI-powered surveillance tech against N.K. threats

YEONCHEON, South Korea -- Perched atop a border hill in the center of the Korean Peninsula, a South Korean military outpost overlooks rugged North Korean terrain concealed by heavy morning fog and early summer foliage.

Only a few kilometers away from the North's nearest guard post, the front-line unit stands surrounded by unfettered wilderness and razor-wire fences that run along the southern tip of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which has separated the two Koreas since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

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S. Korea probes hacking of defense officials' emails

SEOUL -- South Korea has launched a joint military-police probe into a recent hacking incident involving defense officials' personal emails, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The move came after police recently began investigating possible North Korean involvement over breaches of the accounts of an unspecified number of senior defense ministry officials and generals, according to investigative authorities.

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S. Korea to set up monuments in hopes of repatriation of 5 abductees

SEOUL -- The unification ministry said Monday it will set up two monuments in hopes of the repatriation of five South Koreans who were abducted by North Korea on two southwestern islands in the 1970s.

North Korean agents kidnapped the five South Korean high school students from the Seonyu and Hong islands between 1977 and 1978, and they have yet to return home.

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S. Korea to designate July 14 as day for N. Korean defectors

SEOUL -- South Korea will designate July 14 as the official day for North Korean defectors, the unification ministry said Monday, in its latest effort to better embrace individuals who have fled the reclusive regime.

The official designation will be formalized through a presidential decree to be issued Tuesday, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's proposal during a Cabinet meeting nearly four months ago.

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