NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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(LEAD) S. Korea voices 'deep regret' over failed bid for new U.N. sanctions on N. Korea
SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The South Korean government expressed "deep regret" Friday about an unprecedented rejection of a proposed U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea for its provocation.
In a statement, Seoul's foreign ministry took a thinly veiled swipe at China and Russia, two permanent members of the 15-state panel, for opposing the U.S.-led push. The two exercised their veto power in the 13-2 vote during a session held in New York on Thursday (local time).
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China supplied over 2,800 tons of refined oil to N. Korea in March, April: U.N. report
SEOUL -- China exported around 2,838 tons of refined oil to North Korea in March and April this year, according to data that the country provided to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).
Beijing supplied Pyongyang with 15,947 barrels, equivalent to 1,914 tons, in March and exported another 7,695 barrels, or 923.8 tons, last month, showed a related update posted on the UNSC's sanctions committee on North Korea.
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(LEAD) U.S., S. Korea working to find right strategy for dealing with N. Korea: U.S. official
WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea are working to find the "right mix" of tools to address the North Korean issue, a senior White House official said Thursday.
Edgard Kagan, special assistant to President Joe Biden and senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the National Security Council, also said the countries have no illusions that there is a magic solution to the challenges posed by North Korea.
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U.S., China must work together on N. Korea, other global issues: Blinken
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged Beijing to work with the U.S. on global issues, including North Korea, as he laid out U.S. policy toward China and its intensifying power competition.
The top U.S. diplomat insisted the two powers must cooperate on vital global issues including North Korea despite their differences.
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S. Korea, U.S., Japan agree on closer cooperation against N.K. missile launches
SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan condemned North Korea's latest ballistic missile launches in high-level consultations Thursday and agreed to step up trilateral cooperation in dealing with the issue, Seoul's foreign ministry said.
First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong and his American and Japanese counterparts, Wendy Sherman and Takeo Mori, respectively, held the phone talks a day after the North fired three missiles, including an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile, shortly after President Joe Biden wrapped up his alliance-boosting trip to Seoul and Tokyo.
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(LEAD) S. Korean, U.S. defense chiefs stress need for strategic asset deployment in phone call
SEOUL/WASINGTON -- The defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States stressed the need for the deployment of America's strategic military assets here and the early resumption of a key deterrence dialogue during a phone call Wednesday, Seoul's defense ministry said.
Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, held the talks hours after North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the East Sea, including an apparent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
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(4th LD) Top S. Korean, U.S. Japanese diplomats condemn N.K missile launches in phone talks
SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile launches in back-to-back phone talks Wednesday, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.
Foreign Minister Park Jin and his American counterpart Antony Blinken agreed to cooperate closely in a push for a new U.N. Security Council resolution against Pyongyang, as they called the North's move a "grave provocation" that only leads to its isolation and threatens regional peace and stability, it added.
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WHO verifying N. Korea's COVID-19 data amid outbreak: report
SEOUL -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is checking suspected COVID-19 data released by North Korea after the secretive country shared related information on its virus outbreak, the U.N. agency's report showed Wednesday.
The North reported to WHO over 1.62 million people with fever and 23 associated deaths between May 13 and 18, according to the organization's latest regional COVID-19 situation report.
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