Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news in North Korea this week.

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Severe floods in N. Korea could cut its 2024 crop output: FAO

SEOUL -- North Korea's crop output for this year could be dented by severe floods from the latest heavy rains and a possible increase in pest infestations, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Wednesday.

North Korea is expected to receive above-average precipitation amounts between August and October, according to a report posted on the website of the FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System.

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S. Korea's 1st spy satellite approved for combat suitability

SEOUL -- South Korea's first indigenous military spy satellite launched in December has passed a combat suitability evaluation, the state arms procurement agency said Wednesday, in a feat bolstering the country's space reconnaissance capabilities against North Korean threats.

Following its launch from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California last year, the satellite underwent operational and space orbit flight tests in the space environment and was approved for combat suitability by the defense ministry on Tuesday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.

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U.S. armored unit stages live-fire drills as part of rapid deployment exercise

SEOUL -- A U.S. armored unit staged live-fire drills at a firing range near the border with North Korea last week as part of an exercise designed to check its readiness to swiftly deploy from the U.S. mainland, the U.S. Army in South Korea said Tuesday.

Troops from a battalion within the 1st Armored Division mobilized M1A2 Abrams tanks, M109-A6 howitzers and M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles for the drills at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, about 30 kilometers south of the border, from Aug. 5-9, according to the 8th Army.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S. to begin key summertime military exercise next week

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States will begin a major combined military exercise next week to strengthen their joint defense readiness in the face of evolving North Korean military threats, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise based on an all-out war scenario is set to take place from Aug. 19-29, featuring the main computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training and civil defense drills.

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