Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

NK weekly-domestic news

Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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N. Korea condemns G7 over possible seizure of Russian assets for Ukraine aid

SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday lambasted the Group of Seven (G7) economic powers as a "club of robbers" over their possible plan to seize Russia's overseas assets and provide financial support to Ukraine.

The criticism came in response to a report by the Financial Times that the G7 have stepped up discussions in recent weeks over spending part of some US$300 billion worth of immobilized Russian assets to support Ukraine.

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N. Korea to hold key parliamentary meeting on Jan. 15 to discuss budget

SEOUL -- North Korea plans to convene a key parliamentary meeting next month to discuss the state budget for 2024, state media said Friday.

The standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) made a decision to hold the 10th session of the 14th SPA on Jan. 15, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea's Ri Son-gwon demoted from alternate member of party political bureau: Seoul

SEOUL -- Ri Son-gwon, head of the North Korean unit handling inter-Korean relations, has been removed from his position as an alternate member of the political bureau of the ruling Workers' Party, South Korea's unification ministry said Thursday.

The assessment came as Seoul has been keeping tabs on a possible change in Ri's status within the party after he was identified in a separate location from members of the powerful group at key events.

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(2nd LD) Kim says ICBM shows he won't hesitate to launch nuclear attack in event of enemy's nuclear provocations

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said this week's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated his commitment not to hesitate to launch a nuclear attack in the event of nuclear provocations from the enemy, state media said Thursday.

Kim made the remarks in an event held Wednesday to praise the Second Red Flag Company under the General Missile Bureau for Monday's successful launch of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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Kim's sister denounces UNSC meeting on N. Korea's ICBM launch

SEOUL -- The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday lambasted a recent U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Pyongyang's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch and warned of further provocations.

Kim Yo-jong's criticism came as the UNSC gathered Tuesday to discuss North Korea's latest test-launch of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM. During the meeting, the North lashed out at the United States and South Korea for infringing upon its right to self-defense.

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N. Korean economy shrinks for 3rd consecutive year in 2022

SEOUL -- The North Korean economy shrank for the third year in a row in 2022 amid international sanctions and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.

The North's real gross domestic product (GDP) inched down 0.2 percent on-year last year, following a 4.5 percent drop in its GDP in 2020 and a 0.1 percent decline in 2021, according to the data from Statistics Korea.

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N. Korea touts ICBM launch as 'major success'

SEOUL -- North Korea on Wednesday lauded its latest launch of a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as a "major success" that will help the country "counter any crises."

The North's missile flew about 1,000 kilometers at a lofted trajectory before coming down in the East Sea on Monday, according to South Korea's military.

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(3rd LD) N.K. leader says ICBM launch shows what option he has if U.S. makes wrong decision

SEOUL -- North Korea confirmed Tuesday it test-fired a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, with leader Kim Jong-un saying the launch showed what option he would take "when Washington makes a wrong decision."

The missile launch was conducted to "take a powerful warning measure under the grave situation, in which the hostile forces' anti-DPRK military threat ... is getting evermore undisguised and dangerous," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, referring to the North by its official name.

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(4th LD) N. Korea fires ICBM at lofted angle into East Sea

SEOUL -- North Korea fired a long-range missile into the East Sea on Monday, the South Korean military said, in its fifth intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch this year as Seoul and Washington seek closer nuclear cooperation against threats from Pyongyang.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missile was fired from the Pyongyang area at 8:24 a.m. at a lofted angle and flew about 1,000 kilometers before landing in the East Sea.

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(LEAD) N. Korea slams S. Korean military chiefs' warning of retaliation

SEOUL -- North Korea on Monday denounced South Korean military leaders' vow to overwhelmingly retaliate against Pyongyang in the event of the North's provocations, brushing it off as a show of "bravado."

In a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea scoffed at their call for enhancing combat readiness against Pyongyang, repeating its claim that South Korea should be blamed for the rupture of a 2018 inter-Korean military accord.

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(2nd LD) N. Korea fires 1 short-range ballistic missile into East Sea

SEOUL -- North Korea fired one short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Sunday, the 12th anniversary of the death of late leader Kim Jong-il, according to South Korea's military.

The launch briefly raised speculation that it could be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) because South Korea's First Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Tae-hyo said a few days earlier the North could fire an ICBM within this month.

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