Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S. voice 'deep concerns' over N. Korea's provocations

SEOUL -- The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States met in Japan on Friday, and expressed "deep concerns" over North Korea for attempting to shift the blame on other countries for escalating tensions in the region, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Kim Gunn, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his U.S. counterpart, Sung Kim, also urged North Korea to come back to the negotiating table, according to the ministry.

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(LEAD) Top nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S., Japan denounce N. Korea's latest missile test

SEOUL -- The top nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Japan on Thursday and strongly condemned North Korea's recent ballistic missile launch, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Sung Kim and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, delivered the message at a trilateral meeting in Karuizawa, a day after Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

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U.S. soldier who defected to N. Korea had been in prison workshop in Seoul: sources

SEOUL -- An American soldier who recently crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea had been in a prison workshop for 48 days after failing to pay a court fine for kicking and damaging a police patrol car in Seoul, legal sources said Thursday.

Pvt. Travis King, stationed in South Korea, willfully crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea without authorization during a tour to the Joint Security Area on Tuesday and is believed to be in North Korea's custody, according to the United Nations Command and American defense authorities.

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(LEAD) Yoon, Biden, Kishida to hold summit at Camp David on Aug. 18: sources

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol will hold a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, near Washington, on Aug. 18, sources said Thursday.

The three leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats during the summit at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland.

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(LEAD) N. Korea remains silent to U.S. calls to verify status of soldier in its custody: state dept.

WASHINGTON -- North Korea has yet to respond to U.S. outreach regarding the safety and whereabouts of a U.S. service member who crossed the inter-Korean border into the reclusive country this week, a state department spokesperson said Wednesday.

The American soldier, identified as Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King, crossed the military demarcation line at the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Demilitarized Zone on Tuesday (Korea time).

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Yoon boards U.S. nuclear-capable submarine in show of force against N. Korea

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol boarded the USS Kentucky, a U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine, at a naval base in Busan on Wednesday, sending a strong warning against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The show of force came a day after the 18,750-ton Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) arrived in the southeastern port city in the first visit by a U.S. SSBN since 1981.

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(News Focus) U.S. soldier's border crossing raises prospects for direct engagement between U.S., N. Korea

SEOUL -- A U.S. soldier's detention in North Korea this week is raising cautious expectations for direct diplomatic reengagement between Washington and Pyongyang as bilateral ties have remained in the freezer amid the recalcitrant regime's dogged pursuit of nuclear armament.

The soldier, identified as Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King on rotational duty in Korea, "willfully" crossed the military demarcation line into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas on Tuesday, according to U.S. officials.

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(LEAD) U.S. service member crosses border to N. Korea without authorization: Austin

WASHINGTON -- An active U.S. service member has willfully crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea without authorization, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Tuesday.

The soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody and his safety and wellbeing is still under investigation, according to Austin.

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(LEAD) U.S. national crosses military demarcation line into N. Korea: U.N. Command

SEOUL -- A U.S. citizen has crossed the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas into North Korea without authorization, the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) said Tuesday.

The man moved into the North during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and is believed to be in North Korea's custody, according to the UNC.

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(LEAD) Nuclear-capable USS Kentucky ballistic missile submarine arrives in Busan: defense ministry

SEOUL -- A U.S. nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) arrived in South Korea on Tuesday for the first time in more than four decades, in a clear display of Washington's commitment to the defense of its ally, Seoul's defense ministry said.

The nuclear-powered USS Kentucky entered a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, after Washington pledged to send an SSBN to the country in a joint declaration adopted by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in April to further enhance the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.

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