Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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Biden voiced concerns about 'illicit' N. Korean nuclear, missile programs in talks with Xi: official

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden expressed worries about North Korea's "illicit" nuclear and missile programs during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California this week, a senior U.S. official said Thursday.

National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran made the remarks during an online press briefing on the summit that took place at the Filoli estate in Woodside, south of San Francisco, on Wednesday.

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S. Korea, U.S. revive consultative meeting on N.K. human rights after 6 years

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States resumed a long-suspended bilateral forum on North Korea's human rights and held a meeting in Brussels this week for the first time in six years, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

Chun Young-hee, director general for the Korean Peninsula peace regime at the ministry, and Ambassador Julie Turner met in Brussels on Wednesday (local time), and discussed ways for bilateral and multilateral cooperation to improve North Korea's human rights situation, it said.

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(2nd LD) U.N. committee adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 19th straight year

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK/SEOUL -- A U.N. General Assembly committee has passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 19th consecutive year amid growing concerns for the safety of North Korean escapees who were repatriated from China.

On Wednesday, the Third Committee handling human rights and social affairs adopted by consensus the resolution, which calls on countries to honor the international principle of non-refoulement. The resolution will be sent to a full General Assembly session for approval in December.

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JCS says N. Korea could test-fire solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile

SEOUL -- The South Korean military said Thursday that North Korea could test-fire a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) following its recent tests of its solid-fuel engine to advance its weapons program.

Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun made the assessment, a day after North Korea said it has successfully tested newly developed solid-fuel engines for a new type of IRBM over the past week.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. stage joint air drills with B-52H bombers over Yellow Sea

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States staged joint air drills Wednesday, involving two U.S. B-52H strategic bombers, over the Yellow Sea, Seoul's defense ministry said, in the latest show of force against North Korea.

South Korean F-35A, F-15K, and U.S. F-35B and F-16 fighter jets escorted the nuclear-capable bombers during the drills, the ministry said, as the allies seek to bolster security cooperation against growing North Korean military threats.

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(LEAD) Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S., Japan vow united response to growing N.K.-Russia military ties

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO/SEOUL -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan have reiterated that the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia poses a "serious threat" to peace and stability, vowing to act together with the international community over the issue.

Foreign Minister Park Jin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa reaffirmed the consensus during the trilateral talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco on Tuesday (local time), as they are stepping up cooperation to address North Korean threats and other regional and global issues.

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(2nd LD) U.N. Command member states vow united response if S. Korea attacked

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United Nations Command (UNC) member states adopted a joint statement Tuesday condemning North Korea's "unlawful" nuclear and missile program and vowed a united response in the case of Pyongyang's aggression.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, as well as senior defense officials and representatives from 16 other UNC member states, gathered for their first meeting at the defense ministry to evaluate its role and explore ways to deepen their security cooperation.

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(3rd LD) S. Korea, U.S. revise 'tailored deterrence strategy' on N. Korea

SEOUL -- The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States updated their joint deterrence strategies on North Korea during their annual security talks Monday as part of efforts to better counter Pyongyang's growing missile and nuclear threats.

The 2023 Tailored Deterrence Strategy (TDS), revised for the first time in 10 years, underscores the U.S. "extended deterrence" commitment to defend South Korea by using all of its nuclear and other military capabilities in the face of a nuclear-armed North Korea.

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S. Korea, U.S., Japan to launch N.K. missile data sharing system next month

SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Sunday to launch a real-time missile warning data sharing system next month to better detect and assess North Korea's ballistic missile launches, Seoul's defense ministry said.

The defense chiefs of the three nations reached the agreement during their meeting on the occasion of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's visit to Seoul for annual bilateral security talks with his South Korean counterpart, Shin Won-sik, slated for Monday. Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara joined the trilateral session via a video link.

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