NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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Defense chiefs of S. Korea, U.S., Japan discuss security cooperation in phone call
SEOUL -- The defense chiefs of South Korea, the United States and Japan held phone talks Thursday to discuss measures to implement last month's agreements on security cooperation among the countries' leaders, including plans for a trilateral sharing of missile warning data and joint military training.
During the talks, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Yasukazu Hamada, also condemned North Korea's missile provocations, including its launch of what it claimed was a space rocket last month.
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(2nd LD) Yoon says N.K. issue should not be 'obstacle' in S. Korea-China ties
JAKARTA -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday he hopes the North Korean nuclear issue will not be an "obstacle" in relations between South Korea and China, as he asked Beijing to play a responsible role, according to his office.
Yoon made the remark during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, saying that the worse the North Korean nuclear problem becomes, the stronger trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan will have to be, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo told reporters.
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(LEAD) Yoon says N. Korea's nuclear program is existential threat to Indo-Pacific
JAKARTA -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that North Korea's nuclear and missile development poses an existential threat to the Indo-Pacific region and called for the strict implementation of U.N. sanctions on the regime.
Yoon made the remark during an East Asia Summit (EAS) in Jakarta that brought together leaders from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand.
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(2nd LD) Yoon urges immediate halt to attempts to seek military cooperation with N. Korea
JAKARTA -- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday urged an immediate halt to any attempts to seek military cooperation with North Korea, amid reports Russia and the North are eyeing arms and defense technology trade.
Yoon made the remark during a summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, after The New York Times reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may travel to Vladivostok in Russia next week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss a possible arms deal.
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(3rd LD) N. Korea will pay a price if it provides weapons to Russia: NSA Sullivan
WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. national security adviser urged North Korea not to provide any lethal weapons to Russia on Tuesday, saying it will pay a price if it decides to do so.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there were no indications that the North has provided large amounts of weapons to Russia but that negotiations toward that end between the two countries are "actively advancing."
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Efforts by N. Korea, Russia to seek closer military ties stem from increasing isolation: U.S. envoy
SEOUL -- The U.S. ambassador in Seoul on Tuesday said North Korea and Russia appear to have sought closer military ties because they were increasingly isolated from the international community and have difficulty in gaining access to supplies due to global sanctions.
Ambassador Philip Goldberg made the remarks during a lecture in Seoul when asked for comments on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's reported plan to visit Russia to discuss providing weapons and to address concerns about a strengthened trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan following their landmark summit at the Camp David presidential retreat.
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(LEAD) N. Korean leader Kim may visit Russia for talks with Putin on arms deal: report
WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may soon travel to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss a possible arms deal, a news report said Monday.
The New York Times reported that Kim may travel to Vladivostok next week to meet with Putin.
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(2nd LD) Russia proposed three-way naval exercise with N. Korea, China: NIS
SEOUL -- Russia proposed conducting three-way naval exercises with North Korea and China when Moscow's defense minister held a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in late July, South Korea's intelligence agency was quoted as saying Monday.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the proposal when he held a one-on-one meeting with the North's leader, National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Kim Kyou-hyun said during a close-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, according to Rep. Yoo Sang-bum of the ruling People Power Party.
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