Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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U.N. committee approves draft resolutions calling for N. Korea to give up nukes

SEOUL -- A U.N. General Assembly committee has approved three draft resolutions concerning North Korea, including one reaffirming the Assembly's commitment to the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" abandonment of Pyongyang's nuclear program, its website showed Friday.

On Wednesday, the First Committee in charge of disarmament and security affairs approved 25 resolutions and decisions, including those related to the North, amid reports that the recalcitrant regime has been doubling down on its nuclear and missile programs.

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(2nd LD) S. Korea, Russia agree to closely cooperate for early resumption of Korea peace efforts

SEOUL/MOSCOW -- South Korea and Russia agreed Wednesday to closely cooperate for an early resumption of stalled peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's top diplomat said, stressing the two countries concurred on the urgency of the North Korean nuclear issue.

Chung Eui-yong made the remarks after talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow, as Seoul has been stepping up diplomacy to revive its drive to resume dialogue with North Korea and lay the groundwork for lasting peace on the divided peninsula.

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(LEAD) U.S., S. Korea aligned on N. Korea, but may differ on sequence of steps: NSA Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- The United States and South Korea are aligned on the need to engage with North Korea diplomatically, but may differ when it comes to when and what steps should be taken to bring the recalcitrant North back to the dialogue table, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday.

His remarks come amid a South Korean push for a declaration of the end of the Korean War that it insists can be a catalyst to restart dialogue with North Korea.

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N. Korea denounces Canada, France for monitoring illicit maritime activities

SEOUL -- North Korea's foreign ministry on Monday denounced Canada and France for dispatching patrol planes near the Korean Peninsula to monitor the North's activities violating U.N. Security Council resolutions, calling it a "military provocation" endangering the security situation in the region.

A North Korean ministry researcher made the comments in a statement posted on its website, referring to the surveillance operations as an "imprudent" act that will "destroy security balance in the region and result in aggravating the political situation."

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(LEAD) U.S., S. Korea to continue discussing end-of-war declaration, other options for N. Korea diplomacy: Washington envoy

SEOUL -- The U.S. point man on North Korea said Sunday that he looks forward to continuing exploring different options with South Korea to resume dialogue with Pyongyang, including the proposed declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

Sung Kim, special representative for North Korea, also reiterated Washington's willingness to help address the North's humanitarian concerns for its people in need, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, speaking to reporters right after a meeting here with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk.
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