Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

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Russia pulls out majority of embassy personnel in N. Korea: official

SEOUL -- Russia has withdrawn most of its embassy staff in North Korea, a Seoul official said Thursday, as pandemic-driven shortages of everyday commodities and anti-virus restrictions have driven many foreign diplomats out of the impoverished country.

NK News, a media outlet on the North, reported earlier dozens of Russia's embassy personnel left Pyongyang on Wednesday via train, leaving behind only two diplomats, including Ambassador Alexander Matsegora, and other technicians.

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N. Korea holds nationwide computer programming competition

SEOUL -- North Korea has opened a nationwide computer programming competition aimed at cultivating talents to lead the country's information and technology development, a propaganda outlet said Tuesday.

A semifinal for the competition, organized by the Kimchaek University of Technology, took place between Nov. 5-15, with the final match slated to kick off Friday for an 11-day run, according to DPRK Today.

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N. Korea calls for glorifying Kim's era as mass movement conference closes

SEOUL -- North Korea has called for praising the era of leader Kim Jong-un as a large-scale conference on carrying out a mass movement for the country's development wrapped up, its state media said Monday.

The 5th Conference of the Frontrunners in the Three Revolutions, which kicked off in Pyongyang on Thursday, closed with the adoption of an appeal that calls for the glorification of "the great era of Kim Jong-un," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea yet to reopen land border with China: unification ministry

SEOUL -- North Korea has yet to reopen its land border with China amid indications of brisk preparations to ease lockdown measures attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Seoul's unification ministry Monday.

South Korea has been closely monitoring signs of the North reopening its border, which has remained closed for nearly two years due to the virus crisis.
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