NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.
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(3rd LD) S. Korea, U.S. to stage annual exercise from March 13-23
SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States plan to kick off a combined springtime military exercise later this month, the allies announced Friday, as they are striving to beef up deterrence against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
The Freedom Shield (FS) exercise is scheduled to take place from March 13-23 without a break, marking the longest-ever edition of their joint computer-simulation command post exercise, according to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).
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U.S. unveils national strategy to counter cybercrimes by N. Korea, others
WASHINGTON -- The United States on Thursday released a national strategy to enhance cybersecurity and mitigate illicit cyber activities by actors from countries such as North Korea.
The strategy released by the White House calls for efforts to defend the country's "critical infrastructure" and "disrupt and dismantle threat actors."
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U.S. lawmakers reintroduce bill on ending Korean War, improving relations between U.S., N. Korea
WASHINGTON -- A group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday reintroduced a bill calling for U.S. efforts to declare a formal end to the Korean War and improve relations with North Korea.
The bill, "Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act," was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and 19 other House members.
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U.S. imposes sanctions on 3 entities, 2 individuals generating illicit revenue for N. Korea
WASHINGTON -- The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on three companies and two individuals illicitly generating revenue for North Korea's weapons development programs.
The U.S. Department of Treasury said the three companies include Chilsong Trading Corporation, which is subordinate to the government of North Korea, and Korea Paekho Trading Corporation, subordinate to North Korea's Ministry of Defence.
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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. hold joint special ops drills, involving AC-130J, MC-130J planes
SEOUL -- South Korean and U.S. special commandos are conducting "realistic" combined drills here, involving AC-130J and MC-130J warplanes, to strengthen the "ironclad" security commitment between the allies, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
The Exercise Teak Knife kicked off a monthlong run early this month, according to Capt. Kimberly Chatto, director of public affairs for U.S. Special Operations Command-Korea (SOCKOR), as tensions rose due to North Korea's missile launches, including that of a long-range one on Feb. 18.
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Size of N. Korea's rice paddies down 0.8 pct in 2022
SEOUL -- The size of North Korea's rice paddies decreased 0.8 percent in 2022 from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday, reflecting the reclusive regime's challenging food shortages.
The North's rice paddies totaled 539,569 hectares, slightly larger than the size of the U.S. state of Delaware, in 2022, compared with 544,006 hectares posted in 2021, according to Statistics Korea.
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N. Korea remains on U.S. shortlist of 'state sponsors of terrorism' in 2021: report
WASHINGTON -- The United States maintained its designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in 2021, U.S. report released Monday showed.
North Korea was one of three countries to be place on the list, according to the 2021 Country Reports on Terrorism. The other two were Iran and Syria.
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Unification minister says it's 'too early' to determine whether N.K. leader's daughter is successor
SEOUL -- Seoul's point man on North Korea said Monday it is "too early" to determine whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recently revealed daughter, Ju-ae, is the country's heir apparent despite her recent high-profile public appearances.
Ju-ae, believed to be around 10 years old, has appeared in public on seven occasions since the North disclosed her for the first time in November, fueling speculation she may be groomed as Kim's successor.
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