NK weekly-inter-Korean news
Summary of inter-Korean news this week
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.
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N. Korea releases water from border dam without prior notice
SEOUL -- North Korea has released water from a dam north of the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice to the South, local authorities said Sunday.
The water level at the Pilseung Bridge, the northernmost point of the Imjin River in South Korea, had risen to 1 meter around midnight, according to Yeoncheon County in Gyeonggi Province and the operator of the Gunnam Dam.
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Unification minister reaffirms initiative to end hostility, pursue dialogue with N. Korea
SEOUL -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Tuesday reaffirmed the Lee Jae Myung administration's initiative to end hostility and pursue dialogue with North Korea, vowing to maintain a consistent approach in seeking peace.
Chung made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the ministry, as Lee unveiled the "END" initiative to promote peace with the North -- "exchange," "normalization" and "denuclearization" -- during his address at the U.N. General Assembly last month.
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N. Korea erects 10 km-long anti-tank barriers along inter-Korean border: lawmaker
SEOUL -- North Korea has built sections of anti-tank barriers spanning 10 kilometers along the tense inter-Korean border, a lawmaker said Tuesday, in the North's apparent efforts to sever ties with South Korea.
The North has so far built four clusters of anti-tank barriers, each measuring 2.5 km, in areas north of the Military Demarcation Line in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing satellite imagery and information submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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N. Korea possibly received Russian aid for Hwasong-20 ICBM: JCS chairman
SEOUL -- North Korea has possibly received technological assistance from Russia in developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that was first showcased during a recent military parade, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday.
North Korea unveiled the Hwasong-20 ICBM, which it described as "the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system," in a military parade held last week to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
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N. Korea's Kim, Trump could meet on occasion of APEC summit in S. Korea: unification minister
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit later this month, possibility at the border village of Panmunjom, the unification minister suggested Tuesday.
Minister Chung Dong-young raised the possibility during a parliamentary audit session in response to a question by Rep. Yoon Hu-duk of the ruling Democratic Party.
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Elderly N. Korea sympathizer asks to be repatriated to North via China or Russia
SEOUL -- An elderly North Korea sympathizer on Thursday called on the government to repatriate him to the North via China or Russia, after his failed attempt to cross the inter-Korean border into the North.
Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old who once served as a North Korean soldier, made the request at a press conference in Seoul, asking the government to arrange his return to North Korea via a third country.
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N. Korea operating 4 political prison camps with up to 65,000 detainees: report
SEOUL -- North Korea is operating four political prison camps, where up to 65,000 people are believed to be imprisoned and placed under forced labor, a report showed Friday.
North Korea is currently operating four prison camps -- Camp 14, Camp 16, Camp 18 and Camp 25 -- in South Phyongan Province and North Hamgyong Province, according to the report by the state-funded Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU).
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