SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.

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N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: report

SEOUL -- North Korea and Belarus are close to signing a visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens, Belarus' state media has reported.

The report by the Belarusian news agency BelTA on Sunday (Belarus time) said Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov discussed ways to enhance mutual times with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, including the pending deal.

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N. Korea to send some 100 athletes to 2026 Asian Games

SEOUL -- North Korea plans to send approximately 100 athletes to compete in 14 sports at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a senior official with the country's National Olympic Committee (NOC) said Tuesday.

Speaking to the Choson Sinbo, a Tokyo-based pro-North newspaper, NOC Secretary General Ko Chol-ho expressed hope that the delegation would win more medals at the upcoming event than in the previous games, despite its reduced size and participation in fewer sports.

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(LEAD) U.S. official says 'no change' in U.S. policy toward N. Korea amid denuclearization concerns

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. official said Wednesday that there has been "no change" in U.S. policy toward North Korea, amid growing concerns over whether President Donald Trump's administration remains committed to pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea.

The official made the comment in response to Yonhap News Agency's question about whether the Trump administration's goal remains the "complete" denuclearization of the North, as it has repeatedly stated.

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U.S. scholar suggests S. Korea refrain from 'bad-mouthing' N. Korea for peace coexistence

SEOUL -- Jared Diamond, a renowned U.S. scholar, suggested Thursday that South Korea refrain from publicly "bad-mouthing" North Korea if it wants to achieve peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang.

Diamond, author of the best-selling "Guns, Germs and Steel," made the remarks during a forum in Seoul, referring to the approach taken by the Finnish government to retain a peaceful relationship with Russia for over 80 years.

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