NK weekly-domestic news
Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week
SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week
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(4th LD) N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: S. Korean military
SEOUL -- North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, Seoul's military said, in apparent protest over a recent series of massive South Korea-U.S. live-fire drills that ended this week.
Shortly before the launch, a spokesperson for the North's defense ministry issued a statement denouncing what it called the "provocative and irresponsible" drills.
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(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim touts leadership of China's Xi in birthday greetings
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping on his 70th birthday, saying that Beijing's national power has "remarkably" strengthened under his leadership, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday.
In the message, Kim said that Beijing has "built a comprehensively well-off society" and that its "national power and international position remarkably strengthened" under Xi's "energetic" leadership, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
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(LEAD) N. Korea's FM reaffirms stronger cooperation with Russia
SEOUL -- North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has sent a congratulatory message to her Russian counterpart over Moscow's key national holiday and vowed stronger cooperation between the two nations, state media reported Tuesday.
In the message sent to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday on the occasion of Russia Day, Choe said Pyongyang and Moscow have ushered in a new "heyday" in their friendly relationship, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
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N. Korean leader vows stronger strategic ties with Russia in message to Putin
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has voiced his willingness to build closer strategic ties with Russia in his congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's key national holiday, state media said Monday.
In the message sent on the occasion of Russia Day, Kim said friendly relations between the North and Russia are a "precious strategic asset" and his country will make efforts to ceaselessly develop such cooperative ties, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
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