Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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N.K. leader's sister says Pyongyang's nuclear status 'irreversible'

SEOUL -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said her country's status as a nuclear-armed state is "absolutely irreversible" and vowed not to tolerate any threats against it, the North's state media reported Sunday.

Kim Yo-jong made the remarks in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), in which she reiterated Pyongyang's position that its nuclear weapons program is nonnegotiable while rejecting international efforts aimed at denuclearization.

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Xi calls for multipolarity, inclusive globalization ahead of Pyongyang visit

SEOUL -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for a multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization in an op-ed published Monday in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun ahead of his state visit to Pyongyang.

In the article, Xi said ties between the two countries should continue to develop amid turbulent and complex global conditions. He also called for closer strategic communication and joint efforts to safeguard the international order.

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N. Korea, China vow new era of ties in Kim-Xi summit: KCNA

SEOUL -- North Korea and China reaffirmed their commitment to supporting each other's interests and pledged to usher in a new era in bilateral relations, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held summit talks the previous day, where they agreed to put their traditional friendship on firmer ground and expand cooperation across politics, the economy, culture, science and the military.

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Xi thanks Kim for 'fruitful' summit: KCNA

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has received a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping thanking him for "fruitful" summit talks and warm hospitality, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday.

In the letter, Xi said the two leaders had exchanged views "in-depth" and reached "important common understanding" on issues of shared concerns that he said added "new substance" to relations between their countries, according to the report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea's main newspaper extensively covers Kim-Xi summit

SEOUL -- North Korea's Rodong Sinmun continued its sweeping coverage of Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Pyongyang for a second straight day Wednesday, dedicating four of its six pages to the summit between Xi and its leader Kim Jong-un.

The official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, the main daily accessible to the North Korean public, carried detailed accounts of Xi's second and final day in Pyongyang, including his luncheon with Kim and his departure for China later that day.

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N. Korea's Kim sends message to Putin ahead of Russia's national day: KCNA

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory letter to Russian President Vladamir Putin ahead of Russia's national day this week, its state media said Thursday.

The message was "courteously conveyed to an official concerned of the Russian Foreign Ministry by Sin Hong Chol, DPRK's ambassador to the Russian Federation," the North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, without further elaborating.

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N. Korea's Kim reaffirms alliance with Russia in letter to Putin

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged unwavering support for Moscow in a congratulatory letter to President Vladimir Putin marking Russia Day, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday.

Kim extended his "warmest congratulations" to Russia on its national day, which commemorates the 1990 declaration of Russian state sovereignty, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea's parliament elects new judges of highest court

SEOUL -- North Korea's parliament has elected new judges of the country's highest court at a plenary meeting of its standing committee, state media reported Friday.

The Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) held its first plenary meeting of its new 15th term Thursday, presided over by Jo Yong-won, chairman of the SPA presidium, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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