Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, July 14 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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(4th LD) N. Korea's Kim vows 'stronger' offensive with successful launch of solid-fuel ICBM

SEOUL -- North Korea said Thursday it test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, with its leader Kim Jong-un threatening to take "stronger" military offensive to deter the United States and South Korea.

Guided by the North's leader, the country launched a new Hwasong-18 ICBM in a test designed to confirm the technical credibility and operational reliability of the "core weapon system," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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(6th LD) N. Korea fires ICBM, raises tensions after U.S. spy plane accusations

SEOUL -- North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the East Sea on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, after the recalcitrant regime warned of military action over U.S. spy aircraft operations earlier this week.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 10 a.m., and the missile, fired at a lofted angle, flew around 1,000 kilometers before splashing into the water.

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N. Korea, China vow stronger ties on treaty-signing anniversary

SEOUL -- North Korea and China have vowed to strengthen their relationship on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the two nations signing a friendship treaty, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday.

China's embassy in the North held a feast to mark the anniversary Tuesday, attended by ranking officials from both sides, including China's top envoy in Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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(5th LD) Kim's sister warns U.S. military will face 'very critical flight' in case of 'repeated intrusion'

SEOUL -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned Tuesday U.S. spy jets will face a "very critical flight" in case of a repeated illegal intrusion into the North's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), threatening to take military action.

"I have already notified beforehand the counteraction of our army upon authorization. In case of repeated illegal intrusion, the U.S. forces will experience a very critical flight," Kim Yo-jong said in an English-language dispatch carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea denounces U.S. decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs

SEOUL -- North Korea's foreign minister on Tuesday urged the United States to immediately scrap its decision to provide Ukraine with controversial cluster bombs, calling it a "dangerous criminal act to bring a new calamity to the world."

The U.S. defense ministry announced Friday it is supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine to help defend its territory against Russia, despite concerns from human rights groups that the deployment of such weapons endangers civilians.

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(3rd LD) N. Korea slams U.S. plan to send strategic nuclear submarine to Korean Peninsula

SEOUL -- North Korea denounced on Monday a plan by the United States to send a strategic nuclear submarine to South Korea, warning it "may incite the worst crisis of nuclear conflict in practice."

The U.S. had pledged to send a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine to South Korea in the Washington Declaration issued by President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in Washington in April to further enhance the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.

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