Summary of external news of North Korea this week

NK weekly-external news

SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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(LEAD) (Yonhap Feature) S. Korea, U.S. stage massive live-fire drills marking 70th alliance anniv. amid N.K. threats

POCHEON, South Korea -- In the midst of persistent North Korean military threats, South Korea and the United States conducted their largest-ever combined live-fire drills Thursday, driving home an impactful message: The alliance will only grow stronger to achieve "peace through strength."

The Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise, the first of its kind in six years, took place at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, just 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border, to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance and the 75th anniversary of the founding of South Korea's armed forces.

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Nuclear envoys of S. Korea, U.S. hold meeting over N.K. spy satellite, provocations

SEOUL -- South Korea's deputy nuclear envoy Lee Joon-il met his U.S. counterpart to discuss ways to counter North Korea's evolving military threats, including the North's plan to launch a military spy satellite, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The meeting between Lee, the ministry's director-general for North Korean nuclear affairs, and U.S. Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Jung Pak, came as Pyongyang has recently announced the completion of preparations to mount its first military spy satellite on a rocket.

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(LEAD) S. Korea to host anti-proliferation meeting, multinational naval drill next week

SEOUL -- South Korea will host a high-level meeting of countries committed to preventing the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) for the first time next week, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, amid heightened tension over North Korea's weapons testing.

The high-level forum of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) will be held next Tuesday on the country's southern resort island of Jeju, followed by the Eastern Endeavor 23 exercise the following day in an effort to strengthen capabilities to counter WMD proliferation.

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N. Korea's aircraft maintenance activity at 'unusual' level: 38 North

SEOUL -- Satellite imagery indicated North Korean passenger aircraft undergoing maintenance at an "unusual" level, a U.S. website monitoring the North has said, spurring speculation about the possible resumption of air travel service suspended by COVID-19.

Several aircraft operated by Air Koryo, the North's national carrier, have been cycled through maintenance hangars at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang since the beginning of May, 38 North said Tuesday (local time) in a report, citing commercial satellite imagery.

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(LEAD) U.S. imposes sanctions on four N. Korean organizations, one individual for illegal cyber activities

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four North Korean organizations and one North Korean national for engaging in illegal cyber activities that help fund the country's illicit weapons development programs.

The Department of Treasury said those put on the blacklist "obfuscated revenue generation and malicious cyber activities that support the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) government," referring to North Korea by its official name.

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N. Korea could launch spy satellite 'in near future': nat'l security adviser

SEOUL -- North Korea could launch its first military spy satellite "in the near future," National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong said Tuesday, as speculation has grown over the timing of the launch.

Cho made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News TV, warning the North will be met with stronger sanctions if it goes ahead.

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S. Korea, U.S. hold consultations on N. Korean WMD, human rights

SEOUL -- Senior diplomats of South Korea and the United States held consultations on North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) development and the country's human rights conditions, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.

Chun Young-hee, head of the ministry's Korean Peninsula Peace Regime Bureau, met with Jung Pak, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, last Friday in Washington and exchanged views on developments surrounding the North, and Seoul-Washington's cooperation in dealing with Pyongyang.

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