Summary of inter-Korean news this week

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.

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Ministry looking into reported arrest of N.K. defectors in China

SEOUL -- South Korea is trying to confirm media reports that a series of North Koreans were recently arrested in China after having fled their impoverished country, the unification ministry said Friday.

Cha Duck-chul, the ministry's deputy spokesperson made the remarks, citing a local law calling for diplomatic efforts to protect and support North Korean refugees based overseas.

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70 pct of S. Koreans support giving medical aid to pandemic-hit N. Korea: poll

SEOUL -- More than seven out of 10 South Koreans are in favor of giving medical assistance to North Korea struggling with a massive COVID-19 outbreak, a poll showed Friday.

In a nationwide poll of 1,000 people aged 18 or above conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday to Thursday, 72 percent said the government should provide medical support to the North, while only 22 percent opposed the idea.

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N.K. leader unlikely to have received COVID-19 vaccine: spy agency

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is unlikely to have been vaccinated against COVID-19, South Korea's spy agency was quoted as saying Thursday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers it assumes Kim has not received COVID-19 vaccine inoculation, citing unspecified "various circumstances," multiple participants in the briefing told Yonhap News Agency.

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S. Korea to reinstate hawkish names for key elements of '3-axis' defense system

SEOUL -- South Korea will revive hawkish names for the core elements of its "three-axis" defense system designed to counter North Korea's military threats, the defense ministry said Thursday, in an apparent reflection of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's tough security posture.

In its defense white paper and other documents, the ministry plans to reinstate the names -- the Kill Chain preemptive strike mechanism and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) -- that the preceding Moon Jae-in government renamed with watered-down terms to facilitate diplomacy with the North.

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(LEAD) N.K. gauges timing for nuclear test after completing preparations: spy agency

SEOUL -- North Korea is gauging the timing of a nuclear test after completing all preparations while at the same time showing signs of preparing for a missile launch, South Korea's spy agency was quoted as saying Thursday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) gave the assessment during a closed-door briefing to lawmakers amid concerns the North could carry out a major provocation during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul this week, according to briefed lawmakers.

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S. Korean aid groups to seek COVID-19 assistance for N. Korea

SEOUL -- A group of South Korean civic groups campaigning for North Korea aid announced plans Thursday to provide Pyongyang with medical assistance worth 12 billion won (US$10 million) in a bid to help it cope with the COVID-19 outbreak.

The move comes amid no response from the reclusive North to the South Korean government's push for consultations on cooperation in its fight against the virus crisis.

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N. Korea stays mum on S. Korea's offer for COVID-19 talks, assistance: official

SEOUL -- North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's bid for a formal offer of consultations on providing COVID-19 medical assistance for the fourth day, according to a ministry official here Thursday.

The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related fax message to the North on Monday through their liaison office to hold working-level talks and offer assistance to the impoverished neighbor struggling with the recent outbreak.

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(3rd LD) S. Korea attempts to send message to North over aid; Pyongyang unresponsive: ministry

SEOUL -- The South Korean government has attempted to send a formal message to North Korea through their liaison office for cooperation against the COVID-19 outbreak but Pyongyang has remained unresponsive, a related ministry said Monday.

The unification ministry said it had sought to deliver the fax message, signed by its chief Kwon Young-se, to the North's head of the United Front Department, Kim Yong-chol, at 11 a.m. the same day.

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(3rd LD) Yoon offers unsparing COVID-19 aid to N. Korea

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will spare no effort to help North Korea cope with a massive outbreak of the coronavirus, offering to send vaccines and other necessary supplies if Pyongyang agrees to accept.

Yoon made the offer for the second time in less than a week as the North struggles to curb rapidly spreading infections after acknowledging an outbreak last week for the first time since the pandemic began. Leader Kim Jong-un has described the worsening situation as "a great upheaval" rarely seen since the country's founding.
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