Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news in North Korea this week.

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N.K. intends to turn Korean Peninsula into Middle East-like conflict zone: Seoul

SEOUL -- Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said Friday that North Korea has focused on staging provocations in an apparent bid to turn the Korean Peninsula into areas similar to the Middle East, with constant risks of military conflicts.

North Korea has been ramping up weapons tests in the new year, including the launches of cruise missiles from land and sea and a hypersonic missile.

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(3rd LD) U.S. admiral says 'symbiotic' N.K.-Russia cooperation runs counter to global peace principles

WASHINGTON -- The nominee for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief expressed deep concerns Thursday over the burgeoning military partnership between North Korea and Russia, portraying it as a "symbiotic" one that goes against the principles of global peace.

During a confirmation hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Adm. Samuel Paparo, currently U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, also noted that Russia might have given "potentially high-end" technology to the North in return for the North's arms supplies to Russia.

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(Yonhap Interview) U.S. monitoring N.K. nuke test possibility, pursuing MDL tension reduction: Pentagon official

WASHINGTON -- The United States is monitoring the possibility of what would be North Korea's seventh nuclear test, while working with South Korea to "effectively" manage tensions along the inter-Korean border, a senior Pentagon official has said.

Vipin Narang, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, made the remarks in a written interview with Yonhap News Agency this week, stressing that the U.S., in tandem with South Korea, is "postured and prepared for any eventuality," amid growing North Korean military threats.

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N. Korea pulls out of Hong Kong, Libya in series of embassy closures: official

SEOUL -- North Korea has shut down its diplomatic missions in Hong Kong and Libya, a foreign ministry official said Tuesday, as the recalcitrant regime struggles with economic challenges amid prolonged sanctions.

They are the latest in the list of overseas missions Pyongyang has shut down in the past months, including Angola, Nepal, Bangladesh, Spain and Uganda. North Korea has said the closures are part of efforts to enhance its diplomatic efficiency.

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N. Korea regains status as country implementing global anti-doping rules

SEOUL -- North Korea has been removed from a list of countries that are non-compliant with global anti-doping rules after a period of more than two years, the global anti-doping body has said.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped the National Anti-Doping Organization of North Korea from the list of signatories that have failed to implement an effective testing program, the agency said in a statement posted on its website Friday.

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(LEAD) S. Korean military sees N. Korea's claimed submarine-launched cruise missile test as 'exaggerated'

SEOUL -- South Korea's military said Monday it is putting weight on the possibility that North Korea's latest purported test of submarine-launched cruise missiles is "exaggerated," noting that a detailed analysis is under way with the United States.

The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Sunday it had detected the North's launch of several cruise missiles at around 8 a.m. over waters near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where a submarine shipyard is located.

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(LEAD) U.S. urges N. Korea to refrain from 'threatening' activity, return to diplomacy

WASHINGTON -- The United States urged North Korea Sunday to refrain from further "threatening" activity and engage in "serious and sustained" diplomacy, after Pyongyang fired several cruise missiles, the latest in a recent series of its weapons tests.

A State Department spokesperson made the call, noting that Pyongyang has increasingly engaged in "threatening" and "irresponsible" military activities, including missile launches.

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