NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.
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N. Korean drones unveiled this week likely use AI to identify, strike S. Korean, U.S. equipment: lawmaker
SEOUL -- North Korean drones unveiled this week likely incorporate artificial intelligence technology to identify and autonomously strike South Korean and U.S. military equipment, a South Korean lawmaker said Friday.
Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the ruling People Power Party made the analysis after the North's state media reported Thursday the country's leader Kim Jong-un oversaw tests of "suicide attack" drones equipped with new AI technology earlier this week.
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Putin cites N. Korea among Russia's potential partners to settle Ukraine war: report
SEOUL -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday listed North Korea as one of the partner countries he is willing to work with to settle its war in Ukraine, according to a Russian report.
Speaking about efforts to settle the war during his visit to Murmansk, Russia, Putin said not just the United States, but also China, India, Brazil, South Africa, all BRICS countries, as well as North Korea, can be partners for cooperation, according to the Russian news agency Tass.
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Russia awards medal to N. Korean leader ahead of 80th Victory Day celebrations
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been awarded a medal commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory Day by the Russian government Thursday, Moscow's embassy in Pyongyang said.
According to the embassy's social media post, the medal marking the Soviet Union's World War II victory over Nazi Germany was conferred on Kim under the directive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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(LEAD) Preparations under way for N. Korean leader Kim's visit to Russia this year: reports
SEOUL -- Preparations are under way for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia this year, Russian news reports said Thursday, citing Russia's deputy foreign minister.
Speaking to journalists in Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Russia is preparing for Kim's visit to the country, Russian news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported, though they did not specify the exact timing of the visit.
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(LEAD) N. Korea presumed to send at least 3,000 more troops to Russia: JCS
SEOUL -- North Korea appears to have additionally dispatched at least 3,000 soldiers to Russia in January and February in support of Moscow's war against Ukraine, South Korea's military said Thursday.
The assessment came amid concerns that North Korea and Russia's deepening military alignment could lead to Moscow transferring advanced arms technologies to Pyongyang in return for the troop deployment.
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(2nd LD) N.K. leader has 'no intention' of negotiating away nukes, seeks 'tacit' nuclear power recognition: U.S. assessment
WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has no intention of negotiating away his regime's nuclear and other "strategic" weapons programs, a U.S. threat report said Tuesday, as a top intelligence official viewed Pyongyang as seeking at least "tacit" recognition as a nuclear power.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, as DNI Tulsi Gabbard said North Korea may be ready to carry out another nuclear test "on short notice" and continue intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests to show its negotiation leverage.
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UNHRC adopts final report on review of N. Korean human rights
SEOUL -- The U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted Tuesday the final report of its regular review of North Korea's human rights situation, urging the reclusive regime to implement its recommendations to improve human rights conditions for its people.
The report on the universal periodic review (UPR) was adopted at the 58th session of the UNHRC in Geneva, about four months after Pyongyang underwent its fourth UPR in November last year for the current 2022-27 cycle, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
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Russia agrees to N.K. doctors' internships in Moscow hospitals, pharmaceuticals modernization
SEOUL -- Russia has agreed to continue North Korean doctors' internships in Moscow hospitals and assist the North in modernizing its pharmaceutical products, including antibiotics, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said Tuesday.
The Russian Embassy disclosed the agreement on its Facebook account, citing Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora's meeting with Vice Public Health Minister Jon Sol-ryong the previous day.
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(Yonhap Interview) Captured N. Korean soldiers not bargaining chip for Ukraine: top envoy
SEOUL -- Ukraine does not see the issue of North Korean soldiers being held by its military as a matter for negotiation or exchange, but as an issue to be handled based on international law and humanitarian principles, its top envoy to Seoul has said.
Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko made the remarks as South Korea and Ukraine are discussing steps regarding the soldiers who remain in Ukraine's custody after being captured by Ukrainian forces earlier this year.
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