Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.

------------
(2nd LD) N. Korea says it's not joining Beijing Olympics due to 'hostile forces,' pandemic

SEOUL -- North Korea has told China that it fully supports the upcoming Beijing Olympics though it cannot participate in the event, criticizing the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games, state media reported Friday.

The North's Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports delivered the message in a letter to China's Olympic Committee and other organizations earlier this week, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

------------
(3rd LD) N. Korea says it test-fired hypersonic missile to bolster strategic capabilities

SEOUL -- North Korea said Thursday that it has successfully conducted a test-firing of a hypersonic missile a day earlier, three months after it first showcased the new weapons system.

On Wednesday, South Korea's military said the North fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile toward the East Sea from the northern province of Jagang.

------------
N. Korea stages rally in Pyongyang to back key party meeting decision

SEOUL -- North Korea held a major outdoor rally in Pyongyang earlier this week, with a number of citizens and some top officials in attendance, in support of decisions from a recent key party meeting, according to state media Thursday.

Wrapping up a year-end Workers' Party plenary session last week, the North outlined its policy priorities for the new year on developing the national economy and bolstering anti-virus efforts.

------------
(4th LD) N. Korea fires an apparent ballistic missile toward East Sea: JCS

SEOUL -- North Korea on Wednesday fired what appears to be a ballistic missile toward the East Sea, South Korea's military said, in the recalcitrant regime's first show of force this year.

The North launched the missile eastward at around 8:10 a.m. from a site in its northern province of Jagang bordering China, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said without further elaboration.
(END)