SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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N. Korean leader's sister rebuffs ARF denuclearization call, vows to update nuclear arsenal 'steadily'

SEOUL -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday denounced regional calls for denuclearization, reaffirming that North Korea's nuclear arsenal would be "updated steadily."

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo-jong criticized a joint statement released Saturday after the annual foreign ministers' meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila, which reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea.

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N. Korea's Kim visits war cemeteries on Korean War armistice anniversary

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited national cemeteries honoring fallen soldiers, including Chinese troops, to mark the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday.

Kim visited the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery on Sunday, where the war dead are buried, and met with veterans, wishing them "good health and long life," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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Commemorative plaque honoring N. Korean troops fighting Ukraine unveiled in Russia

SEOUL -- A ceremony unveiling a commemorative plaque honoring North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops against Ukraine took place last week, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday.

The plaque was unveiled Friday at the Pantheon of Defenders of the Motherland run by Russia's Defense Ministry in the Moscow region to convey the "heroic feats" of soldiers of the Korean People's Army overseas operations units involved in the operation to liberate Russia's Kursk region, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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N. Korea marks 73rd armistice anniversary with ceremonial parade

SEOUL -- North Korea has held a commemorative parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, involving columns symbolic of units fought in the war, state media reported Tuesday.

Leader Kim Jong-un attended the event the previous day, flanked by senior party, government and military officials, along with war veterans, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Diplomats from China and Russia stationed in Pyongyang were also present.

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N. Korea's Kim takes photos with war veterans to celebrate armistice anniversary

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un posed for photographs with war veterans and citizens honored for their wartime services to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War, state media reported Wednesday.

The session, held Tuesday, was part of North Korea's self-declared Victory Day commemorations. Veterans and honorees arrived in Pyongyang from across the country Saturday to participate in the events, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea, China pledge closer ties at banquet marking Chinese military anniv.

BEIJING/SEOUL -- North Korea and China called for closer bilateral friendship and cooperation at a banquet in Pyongyang, celebrating the 99th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), the North's state media reported Wednesday.

China's top envoy to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, hosted the event Tuesday at the Chinese Embassy, according to Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

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N. Korea denounces move by U.S. military in Japan to increase troop numbers

SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday criticized a move by the United States Forces Japan (USFJ) to increase troop numbers aimed at improving coordination with Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

Lt. Gen. Stephen F. Jost, commander of the USFJ, told the Asahi Shimbun in an interview published Tuesday that USFJ had added 215 personnel since last year to "help strengthen its command structure" and "improve coordination" with Japanese forces in preparation for "a potential regional crisis."

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