NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.
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S. Korea, U.S., Japan voice serious concerns over N.K. IT workers' malicious cyber activities
SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan on Wednesday voiced "serious concerns" over evolving malicious cyber activities by North Korean information technology (IT) workers who use artificial intelligence (AI) tools and other means to fund Pyongyang's illicit weapons programs.
The three countries issued the call in a joint statement, reaffirming the shared commitment to continued trilateral coordination to counter the North's unlawful cyber activities that pose serious risks to the international community.
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U.S. Treasury Dept. sanctions 2 individuals, 2 entities involved in N.K. IT worker scheme
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday issued sanctions on two individuals and two entities, including a North Korean citizen and trading firm, for their role in what it called a "fraudulent" North Korean information technology (IT) worker scheme.
The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the sanctions, the latest in a series of actions that Washington has taken in recent months to stop Pyongyang's schemes under which it apparently uses its overseas IT workers as a source of hard currency to bankroll its weapons programs in breach of U.N. and U.S. sanctions.
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N. Korea's Kim likely to use bulletproof special train for his upcoming trip to China
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to use his personal bulletproof special train when he travels to Beijing to attend China's large-scale military parade next week, sources said Friday.
Kim is scheduled to attend a high-profile military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945, which it observes as its victory day over Japan.
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State Dept. says 'nothing to share' on N.K. leader's planned trip to China
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department said Thursday that it has "nothing to share" on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's reported plan to visit China to attend next week's high-profile military parade, as U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his openness to reengaging with Kim.
Kim plans to join Wednesday's military event in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in what would be his first joint appearance with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to reports.
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