NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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(2nd LD) N. Korea has offered arms to Russia's military group Wagner: U.S.

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The White House said North Korea has delivered an arms shipment to a private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, for use in the Ukraine war.

John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson, told reporters Thursday (U.S. time) that North Korea completed an initial shipment of weapons to Russia, including infantry rockets and missiles last month.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. mulling massive live-fire drills next year to mark 70th year of alliance: ministry

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States are considering staging their first large-scale combined live-fire demonstration in six years next year to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.

Such an exercise usually involves thousands of troops, as well as artillery pieces and other formidable weapons systems, to highlight the allies' combined firepower. It did not take place during the preceding Moon Jae-in administration keen on inter-Korean engagement.

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U.S. F-22 fighters return home after allied drills canceled due to bad weather

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States canceled a plan to stage combined air drills, involving America's F-22 stealth fighters, this week due to bad weather, the Air Force here said Wednesday.

The F-22 jets from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, returned home earlier in the day. They arrived at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, 275 kilometers south of Seoul, earlier this week for the drills initially set for Thursday.

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(2nd LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. to develop 'realistic' training scenarios on N.K. nuke, missile threats

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States plan to craft "realistic" training scenarios to handle advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats while expanding the scale of their field drills next year, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup presided over a meeting of top commanders to discuss the plan and other policy priorities, amid tensions caused by the North's continued missile launches, including that of what Seoul called medium-range ballistic missiles on Sunday.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S. stage combined air drills involving America's B-52H bombers, F-22 fighters

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States conducted combined air drills, involving U.S. B-52 strategic bombers and F-22 stealth fighters, on Tuesday, in an effort to strengthen the credibility of America's "extended deterrence," Seoul's defense ministry said.

The drills took place in the South's air defense identification zone southwest of its southern island of Jeju amid tensions caused by the North's launch of two medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) on Sunday.

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