Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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U.S. urges N. Korea to refrain from provocations following N. Korean warning

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Thursday urged North Korea to refrain from further provocations and instead engage in dialogue.

A spokesperson for the Department of State also renewed the U.S. condemnation of North Korea's recent missile tests.

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U.S. focused on consequences for N. Korea's missile tests: Blinken

WASHINGTON -- The United States is working with allies and partners to ensure that North Korea faces consequences for its recent missile tests, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.

Blinken also noted the North may continue to launch missiles as part of efforts to get more attention.

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U.S. proposes additional U.N. sanctions on N. Korea following missile tests

SEOUL -- The United States is pushing for additional U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea following a series of its missile launches, Washington's top envoy to the world body has said.

"On top of today's designations by @StateDept and @USTreasury, the U.S. is proposing @UN sanctions following North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions," Linda Thomas-Greenfield wrote on Twitter.

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(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. mull delaying combined drills to April due to presidential election: sources

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States are considering postponing their combined springtime military exercise, usually held in March, to April due to the March 9 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple sources said Thursday.

The allies have been discussing the possible delay in consideration of the virus' unabated spread and the need to ensure South Korean troops can exercise their voting rights in the election unhindered by the round-the-clock command post training, the sources said.

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(3rd LD) U.S. designates six N. Koreans over WMD, ballistic missile programs

WASHINGTON -- The United States said Wednesday that it is designating six North Korean individuals related to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs.

The Department of Treasury said it is designating five North Korean individuals -- one based in Russia and four in China -- for illegally procuring materials for the North's WMD and ballistic missile programs.

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(LEAD) S. Korean, U.S. nuclear envoys discuss N. Korea's latest missile launch

SEOUL -- Top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held phone talks Tuesday over North Korea's latest launch of a ballistic missile and stressed the importance of maintaining the allies' combined defense posture, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

Noh Kyu-duk, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his American counterpart, Sung Kim, discussed the matter, hours after the North test-fired the missile toward the East Sea in its second show of force this year.

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U.S., 5 others urge N. Korea to end missile tests, return to dialogue: statement

WASHINGTON -- The United States and five other countries called on North Korea to cease its missile tests and engage in denuclearization negotiations on Monday.

The joint call came shortly before the U.N. Security Council was set to hold a meeting behind closed doors on North Korea's missile test that Pyongyang claims to have involved a newly developed hypersonic missile.
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