NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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Biden envisions Washington summit with Yoon, Kishida this summer over Seoul-Tokyo thaw, trilateral cooperation: Campbell

SEOUL -- U.S. President Joe Biden has invited President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Washington for a trilateral summit this summer to discuss how to "lock in" progress in ties between Seoul and Tokyo, and advance tripartite cooperation, a senior U.S. official said Thursday.

National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell made the remarks amid expectations that the thaw in relations between the Asian neighbors -- frayed over wartime history -- will help cement cooperation among the three countries in the face of growing North Korean threats and other challenges.

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Conservative professor tapped to lead unification ministry

SEOUL -- Kim Yung-ho, the nominee for South Korea's new unification minister, is a conservative professor known for his hard-line stance toward North Korea and also a vocal advocate of human rights.

Born in the southeastern city of Jinju, the 63-year-old majored in diplomacy at Seoul National University and earned a doctorate degree from the Woodrow Wilson Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia. His doctorate thesis explored the 1950-53 Korean War.

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(LEAD) S. Korea sanctions Russian individual involved in Pyongyang's illegal weapons-financing activities

SEOUL -- South Korea on Wednesday imposed unilateral sanctions on a Russian individual of Korean descent involved in the illegal financing of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Choi Chon Gon of Russia was among the total of four entities -- two individuals and two organizations -- newly added to Seoul's sanctions list against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs, according to the ministry.

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(Yonhap Interview) IPC chief hoping to see N. Korea in 2024 Paralympics

SEOUL -- As head of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parsons would like to see as many countries as possible compete in the Paralympic Games, held in conjunction with the Olympic Games for able-bodied athletes.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Monday during his visit to South Korea, Parsons said he wants to see the reclusive North Korea in Paris for the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

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Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S. call for China's 'constructive role' over N. Korea's nuke issue

SEOUL -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Monday to discuss North Korea's denuclearization and the outcome of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent visit to China, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Kim Gunn, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, agreed to cooperate closely in communicating with Beijing over the North's nuclear issue, according to the ministry.

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