NK weekly-domestic news
Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.
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N. Korea bristles at planned S. Korea-U.S. live-fire drills
SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday condemned South Korea and the United States for planning to kick off their major joint live-fire drills next week, describing the drills as a "war exercise" against Pyongyang.
South Korea and the U.S. are set to stage the drills from May 25 to June 15 as they mark the 70th anniversary of their alliance. The drills are expected to involve advanced weapons systems, including F-35A stealth fighters, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, K2 tanks and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.
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N. Korean premier meets new Chinese ambassador
SEOUL -- North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun has met with China's new ambassador to Pyongyang, the North's state media said Thursday.
Kim met Ambassador Wang Yajun, who paid a courtesy call, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
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(2nd LD) N. Korean leader inspects military spy satellite facility: state media
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the country's first military reconnaissance satellite and gave the green light for its next action plan, Pyongyang's state media said Wednesday, adding that the satellite is "ready for loading" on a rocket.
Kim made the on-site inspection to the Non-permanent Satellite Launch Preparatory Committee a day earlier to check the overall status of the spy satellite and approved of its "future action plan," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, in a move that signals the launch could be imminent.
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N. Korea slams U.S. for being behind Japan's military 'collusion' with NATO
SEOUL -- North Korea said Monday the United States is behind Japan's move to seek military "collusion" with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), denouncing Washington for aiming to build a military bloc in the Asia-Pacific region.
Kim Sol-hwa, a researcher of the Institute for Japan Studies of the North's foreign ministry, said Japan's "unprecedented" military ties with NATO have sparked "great" concerns in the international community.
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