NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, July 12 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news in North Korea this week.
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(LEAD) NATO's Indo-Pacific partners adopt statement condemning Russia-N. Korea ties
WASHINGTON -- South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand adopted a joint statement denouncing the deepening military ties between Russia and North Korea and agreed to step up cooperation during their summit in Washington on Thursday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the meeting with his counterparts from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s Indo-Pacific partners, collectively known as IP4, for the third consecutive year.
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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. ink joint nuclear deterrence guidelines amid evolving N. Korean threats
WASHINGTON -- South Korea and the United States signed joint nuclear deterrence guidelines in Washington on Thursday, in a milestone of bilateral endeavors to sharpen cooperation to counter evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
Cho Chang-rae, Seoul's deputy defense minister for policy, and Vipin Narang, acting U.S. assistant secretary of defense for space policy, inked the "Guidelines for Nuclear Deterrence and Nuclear Operations on the Korean Peninsula."
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(2nd LD) Yoon, Biden warn any N.K. nuclear attack will be met with 'overwhelming,' 'decisive' response
WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden warned Thursday that any North Korean nuclear attack against South Korea will be met with a "swift, overwhelming and decisive" response, as they highlighted "tremendous" progress in their joint deterrence efforts.
Following their meeting on the margins of a NATO summit in Washington, they issued the warning in a joint statement that commended the signing of the allies' nuclear deterrence guidelines designed to ensure the credibility of America's "extended deterrence" commitment to South Korea in an integrated manner.
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Yoon, NATO chief agree to share info on N. Korea's weapons used in Ukraine
WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and the chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held talks Thursday and agreed to share information regarding North Korea's weapons used in Russia's war in Ukraine, Yoon's office said.
Yoon met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington amid rising concerns over the burgeoning military cooperation between Russia and North Korea following their recent signing of a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty, which includes a mutual defense clause.
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S. Korea, U.S. hold director-level talks on North Korean human rights
SEOUL -- South Korea's top nuclear envoy met with Julie Turner, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, in Seoul on Thursday to discuss ways to improve North Korean human rights, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
Lee Jun-il, director general for Korean Peninsula policy, and Turner shared assessments of the human rights situation in North Korea, the ministry said in a press release.
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(2nd LD) Yoon, Kishida pledge security cooperation with NATO amid deepening N.K.-Russia ties
WASHINGTON -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Wednesday to bolster security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) amid deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
Yoon and Kishida shared the view as they met bilaterally on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, where they were invited as leaders of the four Indo-Pacific partner nations, which also include Australia and New Zealand.
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(LEAD) NATO leaders strongly condemn N. Korea's weapons exports to Russia: summit declaration
WASHINGTON -- The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries "strongly" condemned North Korea's weapons exports to Russia and voiced "great concern" over the two countries' deepening partnership as they issued a summit declaration on Wednesday.
The leaders attended a NATO summit in Washington amid growing concerns about the growing military alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow, China's growing assertiveness and other global security challenges.
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(3rd LD) Top U.S. official for N. Korea policy recently resigned: sources
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- The top U.S. official for North Korea policy resigned last week, multiple sources said Tuesday, adding to uncertainty over Washington's diplomatic efforts to reengage with a recalcitrant Pyongyang.
Jung Pak left the post as the U.S. senior official for North Korea and a process is under way to select her replacement, according to the sources.
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China believed to demand N. Korea bring back all of its workers: source
SEOUL -- The Chinese government is believed to have demanded North Korea bring back all of its workers in China, a source said Tuesday, a move that would squeeze Pyongyang's hard currency earnings.
North Korea reportedly wants to gradually recall its workers in China to the North, but China is believed to have requested Pyongyang return home its workers en masse whose visas expire, according to the source.
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(LEAD) Yoon says Russia should choose whether S. Korea or N. Korea is more important
SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an interview published Monday that Russia should choose whether South or North Korea is more important for its national interests amid deepening concern about military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Yoon made the remark in a written interview with Reuters, saying he will address the threat that military cooperation between Russia and the North poses to the Korean Peninsula and Europe at the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
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