Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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With daughter in tow, N. Korean leader attends factory openings for 2nd straight day

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended ceremonies to open new factories for the second straight day, state media reported Sunday, highlighting his push for regional development as he appeared alongside his daughter.

The Korean Central News Agency said Kim toured factories in the eastern coastal city of Sinpho on Friday, a day after he cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony for a plant in the western county of Jangyon.

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N. Korea's new hotels inaugurated in Samjiyon near peninsula's highest mountain

SEOUL -- North Korea has inaugurated five newly built hotels in Samjiyon, a northern city near the country's highest mountain, Mount Paektu, as its leader Kim Jong-un expressed an "unshakable" will to develop the area into an attractive mountainous tourist zone, state media reported Tuesday.

The North held ceremonies to officially open the new "modern" hotels in the Samjiyon Tourist Resort on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea ramps up opening of regional factories ahead of key party congress

SEOUL -- North Korea has been ramping up the opening of new regional factories, including one in the northeastern county of Kilju, where a nuclear test site is located, ahead of next year's key party congress, according to state media Wednesday.

North Korea held a ceremony the previous day to inaugurate a light industry factory in Kilju, attended by senior party, military and government officials, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

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N. Korea's state media silent on birthday of leader Kim's grandmother

SEOUL -- North Korea's state media made no mention of the birthday of the long-revered grandmother of leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday as the current leader seeks to reduce his reliance on his predecessors for authority.

The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, has yet to report on the late Kim Jong-suk's birthday, which falls on Dec. 24.

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N. Korea's Kim warns Seoul's nuclear-powered submarine plan will 'worsen instability'

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said South Korea's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines will "worsen the instability" in the region, calling Seoul's move a threat to the North's national security, according to state media Thursday.

Kim made the remarks during an on-site inspection of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine under construction, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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N. Korea's Kim oversees test-firing of new anti-air missiles in East Sea

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen the test-firing of new long-range anti-air missiles under development in the East Sea, which accurately hit mock targets, state media reported Thursday.

The test-firing of new-type high-altitude long-range anti-air missiles was conducted by the Missile Administration the previous day to assess their tactical and technical features for the first time, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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Kim receives New Year's message from Putin that hails 'heroic' dispatch of N. Korean troops in war against Ukraine

SEOUL -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of greeting to mark New Year's Day to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, hailing the North's "heroic" dispatch of troops in Russia's war against Ukraine, the North's state media said Thursday.

Kim received the message on Dec. 18, in which Putin extended "wholehearted congratulations" on the occasion of the new year, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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N. Korea's Kim calls for expanding missile, shell production capacity

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for building new munitions factories to expand the production capacity of missiles and shells, stressing that raising their production is critical in bolstering the war deterrent, state media reported Friday.

Kim made the remarks during his visit to major munitions industry enterprises as he inspected the missile and shell production in the fourth quarter, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It did not elaborate on the date of his inspection or the factories' locations.

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Kim Chang-son, close aide of N. Korean leader, dies: KCNA

SEOUL -- Kim Chang-son, who had served as the protocol chief to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has died, according to the North's state media Friday.

The North's leader expressed "deep" condolences over his death and sent a wreath to the bier the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, without saying the cause of his death.

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