NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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S. Korean envoy meets U.S. officials, experts in diplomatic outreach for N.K. human rights
SEOUL -- South Korea's envoy for North Korean human rights has met with U.S. government officials, experts and civic activists in a diplomatic outreach to promote awareness of the North's human rights situation, the foreign ministry said Friday.
Lee Shin-wha, the ambassador-at-large for international cooperation on North Korean human rights, met with Uzra Zeya, U.S. under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights at the State Department, in Washington earlier this week.
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(4th LD) Blinken says Russia providing technology, support for N.K. military programs
SEOUL -- Russia is providing "technology and support" for North Korea's military programs, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, as Pyongyang is believed to be trying to make yet another attempt to launch a military satellite.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Seoul after talks with Foreign Minister Park Jin, Blinken also said the two sides discussed ways to intensify pressure on Moscow not to transfer military technology to Pyongyang.
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U.N. committee unveils draft resolution on N. Korea's human rights violations
SEOUL -- A U.N. General Assembly committee has unveiled a draft resolution denouncing North Korea's human rights violations and voicing concerns over the regime's punishment of those repatriated from abroad.
This year's resolution, disclosed by the Third Committee of the General Assembly dealing with human rights and social affairs Wednesday (U.S. time), comes amid growing concerns over China's forced repatriation of North Korean defectors.
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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. defense chiefs to hold annual security talks in Seoul next week
SEOUL -- Defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold their annual bilateral security talks next week to discuss ways to strengthen Washington's extended deterrence against North Korea's missile and nuclear threats, and shore up the alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, plan to attend the 55th Security Consultative Meeting on Monday, which would mark their first in-person talks since Shin took office last month.
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Pentagon declines to comment on whether to scrap 2018 inter-Korean military tension-reduction pact
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Defense refused Tuesday to comment on a growing debate in South Korea over whether a 2018 inter-Korean military accord aimed at reducing border tensions should be suspended, saying it is a matter for South Korea to decide on.
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh addressed the question during a press briefing as South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has made calls for the suspension of the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), which critics argue limit South Korea's overall border security operations despite growing North Korean threats.
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U.S. expert voices concern over N.K.'s cooperation with Russia, abandonment of decadeslong effort to normalize ties with U.S.
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made concerning "strategic" changes in the regime's decadeslong effort of seeking normalization with the United States, turning to Russia and China for cooperation instead, an American expert said Tuesday.
Siegfried Hecker, an emeritus professor at Stanford University known for his direct experience with Pyongyang's nuclear program, made the remarks during a press conference prior to his lecture at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, stressing that the recent link-up of Russia and North Korea is "really serious and significant."
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S. Korea in talks with U.N. Command over resumption of Panmunjom tour
SEOUL -- South Korea's unification ministry said Tuesday it is in talks with the United Nations Command (UNC) over the resumption of a tour program for the truce village of Panmunjom on the inter-Korean border.
The tour program for ordinary people has been suspended since mid-July after U.S. Army private Travis King crossed the border into North Korea during a tour to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.
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(LEAD) Unification minister calls on China to enable N. Korean defectors to decide country of choice
WASHINGTON -- South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho renewed calls Monday for China to help North Korean defectors move to a country of their choice and ensure their human rights are protected based on the "international norm."
Kim made the remarks in a keynote speech read out by an aide to him at a forum amid concerns about reports that Chinese authorities repatriated hundreds of North Korean escapees against their wishes last month.
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