NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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N. Korea uses upgraded backdoor scheme to attack U.S. video-conferencing firm 3CX
SEOUL -- North Korea has used its upgraded skills to stage a backdoor attack against the network of U.S. virtual phone service company 3CX last month, Mandiant, Google's cybersecurity unit, said Thursday.
3CX, which provides online voice, video conferencing and messaging services for businesses, saw its network chain had been attacked by information-stealing malware planted by a hacker cluster named UNC4736. It is known to be a Lazarus sub-group dubbed Labyrinth Chollima, while Lazarus is one of the North Korean government-led secret operations organizations.
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N. Korean nuclear test not matter of if but when: Gen. LaCamera
WASHINGTON -- North Korea is set to conduct its seventh nuclear test, the chief of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Thursday, arguing it is not a matter of if but when.
Gen. Paul LaCamera also said the North's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities no longer make the country a problem for the U.S. and South Korea only, but the entire region.
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(LEAD) S. Korea urges 'extraordinary responsibility' from UNSC over N. Korea's nuclear provocations
NEW YORK/SEOUL -- South Korea's top envoy at the United Nations called Monday on permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to take "extraordinary responsibility" to curb North Korea's nuclear provocations.
Addressing a session of the council, Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook stressed that Pyongyang is the "first and only case" that has flouted the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) regime and openly developed nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
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Presidential office revising war contingency guideline to deal with evolving N.K. threat
SEOUL -- The South Korean presidential office has begun revising the country's war contingency guideline to better deal with the evolving threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, according to informed sources Monday.
The presidential National Security Office and the defense ministry have started revising the "national war guidance guideline," a subdocument of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's national security strategy, a government source, who requested anonymity, told Yonhap News Agency over the phone.
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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan hold missile defense drills in East Sea amid N. Korean threats
SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan held a trilateral missile defense exercise in the international waters of the East Sea on Monday, Seoul's Navy said, amid stepped-up efforts to sharpen deterrence against North Korean threats.
The three nations have been reinforcing security coordination following Pyongyang's provocative acts, such as the launch of a purportedly solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last Thursday.
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S. Korea, U.S. begin large-scale combined air drills
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States kicked off large-scale combined air drills on Monday, the South's Air Force said, amid joint efforts to sharpen deterrence against Pyongyang's military threats.
About 110 aircraft and more than 1,400 troops were mobilized for this year's Korea Flying Training (KFT), which got under way earlier in the day for a 12-day run at Gwangju Air Base in Gwangju, 267 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the armed service.
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