NK weekly-external news
Summary of external news of North Korea this week
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week.
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N. Korea's Kim poised to leave for China, set stage for meetings with Putin, Xi
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was expected to depart for China on Monday aboard his special armored train to attend a military parade in Beijing, with attention focusing on his first presence on the multilateral diplomatic stage and a possible three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Kim may have to leave Pyongyang as early as Monday to arrive in Beijing by Tuesday, given the train's travel time of about 20 to 24 hours, according to observers and government sources.
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N. Korea's Kim departs for China aboard train: sources
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un departed Pyongyang on Monday afternoon aboard a train, a source familiar with the matter said, with Kim expected to make his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage at a military parade in Beijing.
It will be the first time for Kim, who assumed power in late 2011, to attend a multilateral diplomatic event. His grandfather and the North's founder Kim Il-sung attended a military parade in Beijing in 1959.
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N. Korea's Kim set to join Putin, Xi at military parade in defiance against West
BEIJING/SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was set to attend a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday alongside Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, marking his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage in a display of defiance against the West.
Kim arrived in Beijing the previous day aboard his private armored train, accompanied by his young daughter, Ju-ae, who has been regarded by South Korea's spy agency as his likely heir apparent.
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N. Korea's Kim invites Belarusian president to visit country: report
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday invited Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to visit his country, Reuters reported.
Kim extended the invitation while talking with Lukashenko at the venue for China's military parade in Beijing, the news agency reported, citing a Telegram account.
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Kim, Putin hold bilateral talks in Beijing
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks Wednesday on the sidelines of a military parade in Beijing.
The two leaders met at the Diaoyutai state guest house after attending the military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945.
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Kim joins lavish reception alongside Putin, Xi after military parade
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un strode into a lavish reception in Beijing with Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, hours after standing shoulder to shoulder with them at a military parade Wednesday, TV footage showed.
Kim was seen entering the banquet hall in the front row to Xi's left, just like he had stood side by side with Xi and Putin at Tiananmen Square viewing gallery during the muscle-flexing parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
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N. Korea's Kim, Xi to hold 'in-depth' summit: China's foreign ministry
BEIJING/SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold an "in-depth" summit, China's foreign ministry said Thursday.
China's foreign ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, made the remarks a day after Kim and Xi, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, took center stage at China's large-scale military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
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