Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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Kim Yo-jong says N. Korean leader calls Lee 'frank, broad-minded' for his regret over drone incident

SEOUL -- Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said Monday the leader Kim described President Lee Jae Myung as "frank and broad-minded" following Lee's expression of regret over unauthorized drone flights into the North.

Earlier in the day, Lee expressed regret over the incident at a Cabinet meeting, saying "Although this was not an act by our government, I express regret to the North Korean side over the unnecessary military tension caused by such reckless behavior."

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N. Korea's Kim congratulates Laos' president on his reelection as nation's leader

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has congratulated Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith on his reelection as the nation's leader, expressing his hope for further developing ties with Laos, state media reported Tuesday.

Kim sent a congratulatory message to Sisoulith, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, on April 1, as he was reelected as president of Laos at the first session of a new parliament March 23, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea holds workshop of party officials over regional development policy

SEOUL -- North Korea has held a workshop involving chief secretaries of the ruling party's city and county committees in a bid to stress the faithful implementation of leader Kim Jong-un's regional development policy, state media reported Tuesday.

The North held the third workshop of officials from the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK)'s city and county committees from Saturday through Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korean official says Kim Yo-jong's statement on S. Korea is 'clear warning'

SEOUL -- A North Korean official said Tuesday that a statement by Kim Yo-jong, issued after President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone incursions, should be seen as a clear warning, dismissing Seoul's response as a "wishful interpretation."

Jang Kum-chol, North Korea's first vice foreign minister, issued a statement after Seoul officials positively assessed Kim's statement Monday. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described Lee as "frank and broad-minded" following his expression of regret over drone incursions by individuals into the North.

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N. Korea's Kim congratulates Vietnam's To Lam on election as president

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un congratulated Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam on his election as president, pledging stronger relations between the two countries, the North's state media reported Wednesday.

Kim sent the congratulatory message to To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

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N. Korea holds party committee meetings to spur efforts to implement policy decisions

SEOUL -- North Korea has convened meetings of ruling party committees under government ministries to discuss the implementation of decisions reached at a parliamentary session last month, state media reported Wednesday.

Ruling party committees established within the rail, transportation, culture and sports ministries, as well as two other state agencies, held expanded plenary meetings to advance pledges made by leader Kim Jong-un during a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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China's FM Wang Yi to visit N. Korea on April 9-10: KCNA

SEOUL -- China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea this week, North Korea's state media reported Wednesday.

The Chinese foreign minister will travel to North Korea from Thursday to Friday at the invitation of the North's foreign ministry, the Korean Central News Agency said, without providing further details.

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N. Korea says test-fired tactical ballistic missile tipped with cluster bomb warhead

SEOUL -- North Korea said Thursday that it has test-fired a tactical ballistic missile tipped with a cluster bomb warhead, claiming it can "reduce to ashes any target" within its range with the highest-density power.

North Korea fired the surface-to-surface missile Hwasong-11Ka tipped with a cluster bomb warhead as part of its tests of "important" weapons systems that were conducted from Monday to Wednesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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Cuban president congratulates N. Korea's Kim on reelection as top leader

SEOUL -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has congratulated North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his reelection as the country's top leader and reaffirmed Cuba's commitment to strengthening ties with Pyongyang, the North's state media said Thursday.

"I affirm that I place high importance on relations with" North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Diaz-Canel as saying in a message to Kim earlier this month.

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Neolithic, Bronze Age relics of salt-producing facilities found in N. Korea: KCNA

SEOUL -- Remains of salt-producing facilities dating to the Neolithic and Bronze Age have been found in North Korea's southwestern city of Nampho, state media said Thursday.

Remains of salt-storing and processing facilities were found in two different cultural layers dating back 5,000 to 5,500 years in Nampho's Onchon County for the first time, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing the archaeology unit of the Academy of Social Sciences.

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N. Korea's top diplomat tells China that Pyongyang vows to deepen bilateral ties

SEOUL -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has told her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Pyongyang would forge relations with Beijing for the interests of the people, with both ministers praising their leaders' pledge to deepen ties, according to the North's state media Friday.

Choe made the remarks during talks with Wang in Pyongyang, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, with a Chinese foreign minister visiting North Korea for the first time in more than six years.

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N. Korea celebrates late founder Kim Il-sung's birth anniv. with cultural events

SEOUL -- North Korea is marking the upcoming birth anniversary of its late founder Kim Il-sung with various cultural events honoring his achievements, according to state media Friday.

The country launched a film week to mark the April 15 anniversary Thursday, along with art exhibitions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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