NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy holds talks with Seoul officials on trade, alliance

SEOUL -- The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia policy held talks with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Friday, with their wide-ranging agenda including North Korea policy, trade and the bilateral alliance.

The talks between Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and his South Korean counterpart, Yeo Seung-bae, was the first in a series of meetings he is set to have in Seoul.

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(LEAD) S. Korea holds first policy meeting on N.K. human rights in over 2 years

SEOUL -- South Korea held an interagency government meeting Thursday on its North Korean human rights policy for the first time in over two years.

The meeting, last held in May 2020, came as the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration seeks a "principle-based" approach toward the North's human rights issue in a shift from the previous liberal Moon Jae-in government accused of having prioritized improving inter-Korean ties over addressing it.

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U.N. special rapporteur for N. Korea human rights to visit Panmunjom next week

SEOUL -- Elizabeth Salmon, newly appointed U.N. special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights, will visit the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom during her first official trip to South Korea next week, a unification ministry official said Thursday.

Salmon will also visit Hanawon, a state-run resettlement center for newly arrived defectors from the North, on Aug. 30 before visiting the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) the following day, according to the official.

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U.S. continues to coordinate efforts to denuclearize N. Korea with allies: State Dept.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains committed to coordinating efforts with its allies to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, also reaffirmed U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan.

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Unification minister meets Chinese ambassador to discuss N. Korea issues

SEOUL -- Unification Minister Kwon Young-se met Wednesday with China's top envoy in South Korea to discuss North Korea and other pending issues as the neighboring countries marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, according to Kwon's office.

During his meeting with Ambassador Xing Haiming, Kwon stressed that his ministry will closely communicate with China in pushing ahead with the policies of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration on denuclearization and improving inter-Korean relations.

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(LEAD) Seoul's 'audacious plan' entirely consistent with U.S. approach toward N. Korea: State

WASHINGTON -- South Korea's offer to help North Korea in exchange for denuclearization is entirely consistent with the United States' own plan to rid the North of its nuclear ambition, a state department spokesperson said Monday.

Ned Price also called on Pyongyang to respond positively to Seoul's outreach.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S. kick off combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States began a regular combined military exercise Monday, reviving large-scale field training suspended four years ago as the allies push to bolster defense against evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise is set to run through Sept. 1, involving an array of contingency drills, like concurrent field maneuvers that were not held over the past years under the preceding Moon Jae-in administration's drive for peace with Pyongyang.

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N. Korea likely to conduct nuclear test before U.S. midterm elections: ex-spy chief

SEOUL -- Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won said Monday that North Korea will likely conduct a nuclear test ahead of November's U.S. midterm elections to show off its nuclear capability.

"They are going to do it in order to demonstrate a threat that its missile can fly to the U.S. carrying a miniaturized and lighter warhead, and to deal a blow to the Joe Biden administration ahead of the midterm elections," Park said on KBS Radio.

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