Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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N. Korea suffers economic contraction for 3rd straight year in 2022: BOK report

SEOUL -- North Korea's economy contracted for the third straight year in 2022 amid continued global sanctions, controls on border crossings and bad weather, a central bank report showed Friday.

The country's economy is estimated to have decreased 0.2 percent last year, following a 4.5 percent contraction in 2020 and a 0.1 percent dip in 2021, according to the report from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

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Defense secretary highlights 'cost' of Korean War, strong alliance with S. Korea on 70th anniversary

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called on all Americans to remember the cost of the Korean War, commemorating the end of the Korean War that ended 70 years ago Thursday.

He also stressed the "ironclad alliance" between the United States and South Korea has remained strong since and will continue to do so.

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(LEAD) U.S., S. Korea Working Group holds meeting on N. Korean cyber threat

SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea held a working group meeting on North Korea's cyber threat this week, the state department said Wednesday, amid their joint efforts to cut off illicit funds from being funneled into the North's illegal weapons development programs.

The working group meeting was held in South Korea on Wednesday (Korea time), led by U.S. Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Jung Pak and her South Korean counterpart, Lee Jun-il, according to the state department.

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(2nd LD) N. Korea remains unresponsive to inquiries about U.S. service member in custody: state dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States has not had any substantive response from North Korea about the safety of a U.S. service member who crossed the inter-Korean border into the reclusive state last week, a state department spokesperson said Monday.

Matthew Miller also said the North has not responded to any requests, including those from United Nations Command (UNC), to confirm the whereabouts or well-being of the U.S. soldier.

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Vice FMs of S. Korea, U.S., Japan vow cooperation ahead of trilateral summit in Aug.

SEOUL -- The vice foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed Monday to work closely together to successfully hold a trilateral summit of their leaders next month, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

First Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Takeo Mori, also discussed ways to boost trilateral cooperation against North Korea's threats during their phone talks earlier this day.

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(LEAD) U.S. nuclear-powered sub enters Jeju port for replenishment purpose: Navy

SEOUL -- A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine arrived in South Korea on Monday for a replenishment purpose, Seoul's Navy said, just days after another U.S. strategic submarine departed here following a port visit in a major show of force against growing North Korean threats.

The USS Annapolis, a Los Angeles-class submarine, entered a naval base in the country's southern island of Jeju, as Seoul and Washington are stepping up security coordination amid tensions heightened by Pyongyang's saber-rattling, including its cruise missile launches over the weekend.

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