Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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N. Korea says Ukraine has 'no right' to criticize its recognition of separatist regions

SEOUL -- North Korea said Friday that Ukraine has no right to take issue with its recognition of two breakaway regions in the war-torn country earlier this week, calling the measure a "legitimate exercise of sovereignty."

On Wednesday, Ukraine announced its decision to sever diplomatic relations with North Korea for formally backing the independence of the pro-Moscow republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

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N. Korea holds key Cabinet meeting on this year's national economic goals

SEOUL -- North Korea held a Cabinet meeting earlier this week to assess its economic performance for the first half of the year and urged utmost efforts to attain its goals in the remaining months, state media reported Friday.

The enlarged plenary meeting of the Cabinet took place via video links the previous day, chaired by Premier Kim Tok-hun, as Vice Premier Pak Jong-gun delivered a report, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea trade sinks 17.3 pct in 2021 on sanctions, pandemic

SEOUL -- North Korea's foreign trade dipped 17.3 percent on-year to US$713 million in 2021 due to international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program and border closures to stem the spread of COVID-19, a report showed Thursday.

The reclusive country's exports fell 8.2 percent to some $82 million last year, and imports plunged 18.4 percent to around $631 million, resulting in a trade deficit of $549.4 million, according to the report from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

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N. Korea officially recognizes independence of 2 separatist regions in Ukraine

SEOUL -- North Korea has formally recognized the independence of two pro-Russian separatist "people's republics" in eastern Ukraine, becoming the world's third nation to do so, according to the North's state media Thursday.

The North's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui sent letters to her counterparts in the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic the previous day and recognized the entities, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Russia and Syria have already backed their independence.

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(LEAD) N. Korea fires another apparent artillery shot on Monday: source

SEOUL -- North Korea fired an artillery shot into the Yellow Sea earlier this week, presumably from a multiple rocket launcher, a defense source here said Wednesday, as the U.S. has deployed six F-35A stealth fighters on the peninsula for combined drills.

The South Korean military had detected a single trajectory believed to be an artillery shot on Monday morning launched apparently in continued firing drills, the source said without providing additional details including where it was fired.

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(LEAD) N. Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases fall below 1,000: state media

SEOUL -- North Korea's new suspected COVID-19 cases dropped below 1,000, according to its state media Tuesday.

More than 900 people showed symptoms of fever over a 24-hour period until 6 p.m. the previous day, the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters.

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N. Korea hails ties with China as 'unbreakable' on bilateral alliance treaty anniversary

SEOUL -- North Korea on Monday called its relations with China "unbreakable" as it marked the 61st anniversary of the signing of their alliance treaty.

An article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, spoke highly of the bilateral relations while commemorating the "DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance" signed in 1961. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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