NK weekly-inter-Korean news
Summary of inter-Korean news this week
SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.
------------
(2nd LD) JCS chief says 2018 military accord restricts S. Korea's surveillance of N. Korea
SEOUL -- A 2018 military tension reduction agreement with North Korea restricts South Korea's surveillance of the North due to no-fly zones set along the heavily fortified border under the deal, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday.
Gen. Kim Seung-kyum made the assessment during a parliamentary audit, as newly appointed Defense Minister Shin Won-sik has been pushing to suspend the 2018 agreement signed when then President Moon Jae-in traveled to Pyongyang for summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
------------
Yoon vows to sternly respond to N. Korea's threats through S. Korea-U.S. alliance
SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to sternly respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats through a firm South Korea-U.S. alliance, as he marked the anniversary of a key battle in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Yoon attended a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Jangjin Reservoir at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, along with some 2,800 Korean and American veterans, and military and government officials, including Veterans Minister Park Min-shik, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Philip Goldberg.
------------
N. Korean hacking groups target defectors group's head: report
SEOUL -- A number of North Korean hacking groups were found to have made hacking attempts targeted at a head of a defectors' group in South Korea, according to a report by a U.S. cybersecurity company Thursday.
Pyongyang's hacking groups, including APT37, APT43 and hybrid clusters under the Reconnaissance General Bureau, have targeted Lee Min-bok, head of a defectors' group that sends propaganda leaflets to the North, Mandiant, Google's cybersecurity unit, said in the report.
------------
(LEAD) N.K. propaganda outlets slam Seoul's unification minister as 'madman'
SEOUL -- North Korea's propaganda outlets on Thursday issued a barrage of insults against South Korea's point man on inter-Korean affairs, calling him a "madman" and the worst-ever "traitor."
North Korea has often denounced South Korea's unification ministry, but its criticism of Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho, by name, only began earlier this week.
------------
(LEAD) Unification minister sees need to review military threats in deciding halt to 2018 accord with N. Korea
SEOUL -- South Korea needs to comprehensively take into account the security situation in deciding whether to suspend the 2018 military tension reduction accord with North Korea, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said Wednesday.
Kim made the remark during a parliamentary audit of the ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, as the defense minister called for pausing the Comprehensive Military Agreement signed on Sept. 19, 2018, citing its impact on limiting South Korea's surveillance capabilities against the North's military threats.
------------
Defense minister vows to push for suspension of 2018 inter-Korean military accord
SEOUL -- South Korea's new Defense Minister Shin Won-sik vowed Tuesday to push for the suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement, citing its impact on limiting Seoul's surveillance capabilities against North Korean military activities.
Shin made the remarks in his first meeting with reporters after taking office on Saturday, noting the no-fly zone set by the agreement near the border "greatly" limits surveillance on signs of imminent North Korean provocations in the front line.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
