NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.
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6 Americans nabbed for trying to send plastic bottles with rice, dollar bills to N. Korea
INCHEON -- Police on Friday apprehended six American citizens who attempted to release plastic bottles containing rice, one dollar bills and the Bible into the sea near a restricted border area in an effort to send them to North Korea, officials said.
The U.S. nationals in their 20s to 50s allegedly attempted to release some 1,300 plastic bottles containing the goods from the restricted area on Ganghwa Island, about 50 kilometers west of Seoul, in early morning hours.
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(LEAD) N. Korea likely to deploy additional troops to Russia in July or August: spy agency
SEOUL -- North Korea is likely to send additional troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine in July or August, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Thursday.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment in a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, as Russia's media reported that Pyongyang will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Russia's Kursk region, in another possible sign of their deepening military alignment.
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U.S. lawmaker calls for closer ties against 'unholy alliance' of N. Korea, China, Russia
SEOUL -- A Korean American congresswoman on Thursday called for strengthening the trilateral South Korea-U.S.-Japan partnership in the face of what she called an "unholy alliance" among North Korea, China and Russia that threatens a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) made the call in a video message during the Korean Peninsula Symposium, hosted by Yonhap News Agency, on Thursday, noting the deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia through the war in Ukraine and China's increasing military exercises around Taiwan.
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U.N.-reported petroleum exports to N.K. reach only 4 pct of sanctions cap amid Russian omission
SEOUL -- The amount of refined petroleum exports to North Korea, as reported to the United Nations, reached only 4 percent of the annual sanctions cap imposed by the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) this year, as Russia omitted its notifications, the U.N. website showed Wednesday.
China was the only country to report its refined petroleum exports to North Korea to the UNSC sanctions committee, listing 14,385 barrels in January and 5,519 barrels in February this year, according to the committee's website.
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Lee calls for efforts to establish peace on Korean War anniversary
SEOUL -- President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called for efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, as the nation marked the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.
"The most certain form of security is to build the state of no need to fight, in other words, making peace," Lee said in a Facebook posting.
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(LEAD) State Dept. reaffirms N.K. denuclearization goal after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuke facilities
WASHINGTON -- A State Department spokesperson on Tuesday reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea, after the United States launched strikes at key nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend.
Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson, made the remarks in response to a question over whether there is a lesson for Pyongyang to learn from the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
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(LEAD) FM nominee Cho vows to pursue peace on Korean Peninsula through N. Korea-U.S. dialogue
SEOUL -- The nominee for foreign minister, Cho Hyun, said Tuesday he would work to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula by facilitating dialogue between North Korea and the United States, if appointed, saying it will be a top foreign policy priority for the Lee Jae Myung government.
Cho made the remark a day after he was named by the president for the top diplomat post, stressing that he will do his best to realize Lee's vision of peace.
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U.S. to extend national emergency declaration over N. Korean threats for another year
WASHINGTON -- The United States plans to extend a long-running executive order declaring a national emergency over an "unusual" and "extraordinary" threat posed by North Korea, a White House document showed Monday.
The White House posted a notice on the Federal Register, announcing a decision to extend it for another year, as it is set to expire later this week if not renewed. It marks the second Trump administration's first extension of the national emergency on North Korea. The emergency has been in place since 2008.
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