NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.

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N. Korea denounces multilateral monitoring of U.N. sanctions

SEOUL -- North Korea on Monday slammed multilateral monitoring activities on U.N. sanctions against the North, describing such activities as "illegal" without any connection to the United Nations.

North Korea's permanent mission to the U.N. made the argument in a press statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency on a U.S. plan to hold a briefing at the U.N. headquarters about a report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).

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N. Korea likely stole over US$2 billion in cryptocurrency last year: U.S. official

WASHINGTON -- North Korea likely stole over US$2 billion in cryptocurrency last year, a U.S. official said Monday, amid growing concerns that its revenue from virtual asset heists continues to bankroll its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Jonathan Fritz, principal deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, delivered a presentation during a U.N. meeting on a Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) report detailing the North's sanctions violation and evasion through cyber and information technology (IT) worker activities.

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N. Korea slams UNSC meeting on Russia's strike on Ukraine

SEOUL -- North Korea on Tuesday denounced a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Russia's recent air strike on Ukraine, defending Moscow's action as a just exercise of the right to self-defense.

Kim Song, North Korea's permanent representative to the U.N. issued a statement condemning the UNSC meeting Monday (New York time) after Russia launched a barrage of missile attacks on Ukraine last week.

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