NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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S. Korea, U.S. defense chiefs discuss deterrence against N.K. threats in phone talks
SEOUL -- South Korea's new defense minister held phone talks with his U.S. counterpart for the first time Friday to discuss the allies' efforts to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said.
The talks between Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin came as the two sides are set to meet in Seoul next month for the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM).
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S. Korea, U.S. update guidance on preventing unwitting hiring of N. Korean IT workers
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States have issued an updated version of the joint guidance for the international community on preventing inadvertent recruitment and facilitation of North Korean information technology (IT) workers, the foreign ministry said Thursday.
The advisories, jointly announced by the law enforcement agencies of the two countries, including South Korea's National Intelligence Service and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, outline information on how North Korean IT workers operate to help identify "red flag" indicators to avoid hiring them.
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PM says he raised S. Korea's concern over China's repatriation of N.K. defectors in meeting with Xi
SEOUL -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that he conveyed Seoul's concerns regarding China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors to their repressive home country during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.
The discussion took place during Han's meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Asian Games' opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 23.
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S. Korea, U.S. and Japan to conduct joint aerial exercise for 1st time: source
SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan plan to conduct a joint aerial exercise for the first time near the Korean Peninsula next week, a source said Wednesday, amid efforts to bolster three-way security cooperation against North Korean threats.
The trilateral aerial exercise is scheduled for Sunday over the Korean Peninsula, involving the U.S. strategic bomber B-52 currently deployed to South Korea.
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(3rd LD) Top U.S. nuke envoy says 'deeply concerned' about what N.K. would get in return for arms supply to Russia
SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The United States is "deeply concerned" about what North Korea will get in return for its suspected delivery of military equipment to Russia, its chief nuclear envoy said Tuesday, calling the increasing arms cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow a "very worrying" development that destabilizes the region.
Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, made the remark during a trilateral meeting in Jakarta with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Kim Gunn and Hiroyuki Namazu, respectively, as speculation is growing over a possible arms deal between the North and Russia following last month's rare summit between leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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U.S. strategic bomber B-52 lands at S. Korean air base for 1st time
SEOUL -- A U.S. strategic bomber B-52 landed in South Korea for the first time Tuesday, after it staged a commemorative flight over a biennial defense trade show in the country and joint air drills with South Korean stealth fighter jets.
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N. Korea appears to be linked to Hamas in arms trade, other military areas: JCS
SEOUL -- North Korea appears to be linked to the Hamas militant group in the arms trade and other military fields, and could use tactics similar to those used against Israel for a surprise attack on South Korea, a senior official at Seoul's military said Tuesday.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) made the assessment after analyzing Hamas' unprecedented attacks on Oct. 7, which blindsided Israel by firing over 5,000 rockets to bypass its Iron Dome defense system, paralyzing the early warning system and breaching the Israeli border with paragliders in the early stage of the conflict.
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S. Korea, U.S., Japan install trilateral communication hotline amid N. Korea, China challenges
WASHINGTON -- South Korea, the United States and Japan established a trilateral communication hotline, a senior Seoul official said Monday, in another sign of progress in their three-way security cooperation amid North Korea's evolving military threats and China's increasing assertiveness.
The establishment of the hotline came after President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, respectively, agreed on the "commitment to consult" each other in the event of a common threat during their landmark summit at Camp David on the outskirts of Washington in August.
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(LEAD) 2 Russian ships made 5 trips between N. Korea, Russia since mid-Aug. in suspected arms transfers: WP
WASHINGTON -- Two Russian ships made at least five round trips between North Korea and Russia, beginning mid-August, in what could be arms transfers, the Washington Post reported Monday, citing satellite imagery.
Based on analysis by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a London-based think tank, the ships have been travelling between the northeastern North Korean port of Najin and a port facility in Dunay in Russia's Far East between mid-August and Saturday.
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