NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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U.S. imposes sanctions on 3 N. Korean party officials related to weapons development program

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Treasury on Thursday designated three North Korean officials who are members of the ruling Workers' Party over the country's illegal weapons development program.

The move comes about two weeks after North Korea conducted its eighth intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test of the year on Nov. 18 (Seoul time).

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(LEAD) U.S. working with S. Korea, Japan for 'effective mix' of steps to strengthen extended deterrence: Sullivan

SEOUL -- A senior White House official said Thursday the United States is seeking an "effective mix" of measures to bolster extended deterrence for its Northeast Asian allies against evolving military threats by North Korea.

"We're working within our alliances, with both the Republic of Korea and Japan to develop an effective mix of tangible measures to this end and specific practical steps to take to strengthen the extended deterrence commitment," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said via video links during a forum in Seoul co-hosted by South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper and the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

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U.S. working to improve early warning system against N. Korean missile launches: U.S. commander

WASHINGTON -- The United States is working to further improve its missile warning system, the commander of U.S. Space Command said Tuesday, following a barrage of North Korean missile tests that included multiple intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches.

"We are looking at how we integrate a sensor architecture that gives us as much warning as possible in terms of any type of missile activity out of North Korea," Gen. James Dickinson said in a webinar hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, a Washington-based research organization.

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(News Focus) Five years after its full nuke armament claim, N. Korea's threat becomes real, further complicated

SEOUL -- Five years after North Korea declared the completion of its nuclear force, the Kim Jong-un regime boasts an exalted military status, with advanced short- and long-range missiles, diversified launchers and a push for "tactical" battlefield nuclear arms.

The secretive North's nuclear and missile programs have apparently made significant progress, as it has gone into overdrive with numerous weapons tests in recent years, including this month's launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), called the Hwasong-17, analysts said.

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