NK weekly-domestic news
Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week
SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.
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Russian firm begins attracting tourists to N. Korea's new Kalma tourist zone
SEOUL -- A Russian travel agency has begun attracting tourists to North Korea's new Kalma tourist zone along the east coast, potentially bringing Russians as the first foreign tourists to the location, the firm's social media showed Friday.
Vostok Intur, a Vladivostok-based tour agency organizing trips to North Korea, announced three tour dates to the Wonsan-Kalma tourist resort starting in early July, inviting tourists to join the program, according to a Telegram post updated on Tuesday.
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N. Korea reports on impeachment trial against Yoon
SEOUL -- North Korea's state media on Friday reported on President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention for an investigation into his short-lived imposition of martial law and the accelerating impeachment trial against him.
"Puppet Yoon Suk Yeol who had been under interrogation after being arrested on charges of masterminding an insurrection was detained at the Seoul Detention Center on Jan. 19 and his impeachment trial is accelerating," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
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N. Korea's parliamentary meeting affirms budget for stronger defense, skips U.S. message
SEOUL -- North Korea has concluded a two-day parliamentary meeting, affirming state spending for a stronger national defense, but no message was issued toward the new Donald Trump administration, according to state media Friday.
Seven items were presented at the 12th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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N. Korea briefly reports on Trump's inauguration
SEOUL -- North Korea's state media on Wednesday briefly carried reports on the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, marking its first news reports since he was elected last year.
The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper catering to domestic readers, and the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, a state-run radio network, reported that Trump was sworn in as the U.S. president earlier this week.
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N. Korean leader's sister breaks 2-month silence to address ties with Belarus
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister issued a rare statement on her country's stance on a summit meeting with Belarus on Monday, marking her first media remarks in about two months.
Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee, clarified a recent report by Russia's TASS news agency quoting the Belarusian president as saying that North Korea and other Asian countries proposed a top-level meeting to discuss cooperation, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
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N. Korea condemns Japan's opening of NATO mission as escalating regional military tension
SEOUL -- North Korea on Monday denounced Japan's recent opening of a new diplomatic mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), accusing the country of dangerously escalating the military tension in the region.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the criticism in an article attributed to an international security analyst, following Japan's formal inauguration of an independent mission to NATO last week to bolster cooperation.
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