NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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S. Korea completes project to improve command system against ballistic missiles
SEOUL -- South Korea has completed a development project to improve a command and control system overseeing defense operations against ballistic missiles, the state arms procurement agency said Thursday, amid efforts to bolster response capabilities against Pyongyang's military threats.
Earlier this month, the defense ministry gave combat approval for the improvements to the Korea Theater Missile Operation Cell (KTMO-CELL) after the project first began in 2019, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
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(6th LD) Yoon, Biden pledge 'overwhelming' nuclear response in case of N.K. nuclear attack
WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Wednesday to significantly strengthen Washington's nuclear commitment to South Korea, promising "swift, overwhelming, and decisive" action in the event of North Korea's nuclear attack.
Yoon announced the agreement during a joint press conference following summit talks with Biden at the White House, outlining a joint statement, dubbed the "Washington Declaration," that they adopted to strengthen "extended deterrence" against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
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(News Focus) Washington Declaration quells debate over S. Korea's nuclear armament but does little to contain N. Korea: experts
WASHINGTON -- The agreement reached Wednesday by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden on ways to strengthen U.S. extended deterrence may have effectively reassured the South Korean public of the U.S. resolve to help its ally but did little to address the threats posed by North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities, U.S. experts said.
The leaders issued the Washington Declaration in a bilateral summit in Washington, under which the countries will set up a Nuclear Consultative Group, which according to U.S. officials, will be similar to NATO's nuclear policy planning body, the Nuclear Planning Group.
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(News Focus) S. Korea-U.S. nuclear dialogue mechanism likely to ease doubts over America's security commitment: experts
SEOUL -- The envisioned creation of a South Korea-U.S. nuclear consultation body is expected to help assuage nagging doubts over America's security commitment to the Asian ally, as it would allow a degree of Seoul's involvement in Washington's nuclear policy, analysts said Wednesday.
The plan to institute the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) will be included in the "Washington Declaration" that Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden will adopt during their White House summit set for Wednesday (Washington time), according to a U.S. official.
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S. Korea, U.S. to form nuclear consultative body amid N. Korea's growing threats
WASHINGTON -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden will issue a joint statement, called the Washington Declaration, under which the allies will establish a joint nuclear consultative body as a way of strengthening Washington's extended deterrence provided to Seoul, U.S. officials said.
A senior U.S. administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the allies will form a new "Nuclear Consultative Group," which is modeled after the NATO Nuclear Planning Group and will provide South Korea "additional insight" into how the United States plans and prepares for major contingencies.
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S. Korea, U.S. simultaneously sanction N. Korean involved in WMD financing
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States announced Monday unilateral sanctions on a North Korean individual involved in the financing of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs through illegal cyber activities, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
The two countries added Sim Hyon-sop, an official of Korea Kwangson Banking Corp., to their respective sanctions lists.
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