NK weekly-domestic news
Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.
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N. Korea slams France for its planned surveillance of illicit maritime activities
SEOUL -- A North Korean official denounced France on Friday over its plan to monitor North Korea's possible illicit maritime activities, calling it an "extremely foolish act of plunging itself into a bottomless pit."
Ryu Kyong-chol, a researcher at Pyongyang's Korea-Europe Association, made the criticism in response to Japan's announcement that France will engage in monitoring and surveillance of illicit maritime activities this month, including ship-to-ship transfers by North Korean-flagged vessels, by using an aircraft from a U.S. airbase on Okinawa.
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N. Korea denounces U.S. sanctions at international legal forum hosted by Russia
SEOUL -- North Korea denounced U.S. sanctions during an Asia-Pacific legal conference hosted by Russia, state media reported Friday.
The 12th Asia Pacific International Legal Forum took place via video links on Thursday and discussed issues ranging from protecting foreign investments to cooperating on international shipment, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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N. Korea holds Cabinet plenary meeting over grain output, economic issues
SEOUL -- North Korea has held an enlarged plenary meeting of the Cabinet to assess economic performances in the third quarter, stressing the need to attain this year's goal of grain output without fail, state media reported Friday.
Premier Kim Tok-hun presided over the meeting held via a video link on Thursday to discuss ways to better implement the country's economic plan for this year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
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Pro-N. Korea paper touts Pyongyang's nuclear force-building policy in constitution
SEOUL -- A pro-North Korean newspaper said Thursday that Pyongyang's status as a nuclear state has become "irreversible" with the recent stipulation of a nuclear force-building policy in its constitution.
In a key parliamentary meeting attended by leader Kim Jong-un last week, the North stipulated the policy of strengthening its nuclear force in the constitution, a year after it enacted a new nuclear law authorizing the preemptive use of nuclear arms and called its status as a nuclear state "irreversible."
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N. Korea slams U.S. over Pentagon document calling regime 'persistent' threat
SEOUL -- North Korea on Wednesday rejected a Pentagon document labeling Pyongyang a "persistent" threat, saying the world's biggest threat of weapons of mass destruction comes from none other than the United States.
In a recently updated version of the Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD), the U.S. Department of Defense described China as a pacing challenge, Russia as an acute threat, and the North and Iran as persistent threats. It also warned that the North's military capability advancements would give the recalcitrant regime options to use nuclear arms "at any stage of conflict."
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N. Korea slams IAEA's adoption of resolution on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program
SEOUL -- North Korea on Monday denounced the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for criticizing Pyongyang's nuclear development, calling it a "conspiracy between the U.S. and its followers."
At the 67th IAEA General Conference in Vienna, Austria, last week, IAEA member states adopted a resolution urging the recalcitrant regime to suspend its nuclear weapons program and abide by its obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions.
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N. Korea spurs efforts to raise crop production during fall harvest season
SEOUL -- North Korea has been ramping up efforts to boost crop production during the fall harvest season amid expectations that the impoverished country's food shortages have improved, compared with the first half of the year.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, recently carried a report that a "critical" time has come in attaining the goal of this year's grain production, while urging officials to lead efforts to produce satisfactory outcomes in the agricultural sector.
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