Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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(2nd LD) N. Korean leader lauds military spy satellite as 'space guard'

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has lauded the country's successful launch of a military spy satellite as an eye-opening event of deploying a "space guard" monitoring enemies' military activities, state media reported Friday.

Kim made the remark during his visit to the National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA) on Thursday, as he encouraged engineers and scientists who contributed to Tuesday's launch of the Malligyong-1, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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Minor quake hits near N. Korea's nuclear test site: weather agency

SEOUL -- A 2.6 magnitude earthquake struck near a North Korean nuclear test site Thursday, the latest in a series of natural temblors that hit the region recently, South Korea's state weather agency said.

The tremor occurred about 40 kilometers northwest of Kilju, North Hamgyong Province, at 9:21 p.m., according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

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N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea, but launch apparently failed: S. Korean military

SEOUL -- North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea, but the launch appears to have failed, the South Korean military said Thursday.

The North fired the missile from the Sunan area in Pyongyang at 11:05 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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(LEAD) N. Korea says spy satellite transmitted photos of U.S. air base in Guam

SEOUL -- A military spy satellite that North Korea claimed it has put into orbit has taken pictures of Andersen Air Force Base and Apra Harbor on the U.S. territory of Guam and transmitted them to Pyongyang, state media reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un viewed the photos sent from the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite during a visit to the satellite control center of the National Aerospace Technology Administration, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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(4th LD) N. Korea says it successfully placed spy satellite into orbit, will launch more

SEOUL -- North Korea said Wednesday it has successfully placed a spy satellite into orbit and will launch several more satellites "in a short span of time" to secure its reconnaissance capabilities against South Korea.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the North launched a reconnaissance satellite called the Malligyong-1 on a new type of Chollima-1 rocket from a launch site in Tongchang-ri on the west coast at 10:42 p.m. Tuesday.

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(2nd LD) N. Korea carries out 3rd satellite launch attempt

SEOUL -- North Korea launched what it claims to be a military spy satellite southward Tuesday, the South Korean military said, following two failed attempts earlier this year.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from the Tongchang-ri area on the North's northwest coast at around 10:43 p.m. and the satellite flew over waters west of the border island of Baengyeong.

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N. Korea prepares for local elections after election law revision

SEOUL -- Meetings were held across North Korea for voters to meet candidates running in the upcoming local elections, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday, as the reclusive regime prepares for its first election featuring more than one candidate.

On Sunday, North Korea is set to hold local elections to pick new deputies for local assemblies of provinces, cities and counties across the nation. In what appeared to be an intention to introduce competition in the election system, some constituencies had fielded two candidates for the upcoming vote.

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N. Korea notifies Japan of plan to launch satellite between Wednesday and Dec. 1: report

WASHINGTON -- North Korea has notified Japan of a plan to launch a space rocket between Wednesday and Dec. 1, Reuters reported Monday, as the recalcitrant regime is preparing for what would be its third attempt to put a military spy satellite into orbit.

The North apprised Japan's Coast Guard of the planned launch in the direction of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, according to Reuters.

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N. Korea vows to step up 'war deterrence' against U.S arms sales

SEOUL -- North Korea said Monday that it will bolster its "war deterrence" capability as it accused the United States of heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula with planned arms sales to South Korea and Japan.

Last week, the U.S. announced the potential sales of AIM-9X air-to-air missiles, Standard Missile-6 shipborne missile interceptors and related equipment under a government-to-government foreign military sale to South Korea.

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