Summary of external news of North Korea this week

SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of external news of North Korea this week.

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U.N. chief voices support for complete denuclearization of N. Korea

SEOUL -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday and expressed support for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea, officials said.

Guterres, who is on a two-day visit to Seoul, met with Yoon over lunch at the presidential office in Seoul.

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S. Korea, U.S. to hold regular defense talks on N.K. deterrence in Seoul next week

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States will hold regular defense talks on deterrence against evolving North Korean military threats and other alliance-related issues next week in Seoul, the defense ministry in Seoul said Friday.

Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Heo Tae-keun and his U.S. counterpart, Siddharth Mohandas, will lead the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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(LEAD) U.S. concerned by N. Korea's 'strengthened rhetoric' around its nuclear program: State Dept.

WASHINGTON -- The United States is preparing for all contingencies amid signs of a potential North Korean nuclear test but is concerned by Pyongyang's "strengthened rhetoric" around its nuclear program, a state department spokesperson said Thursday.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the department, said Pyongyang is continuing to prepare for what will be its seventh nuclear test.

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ASEAN-hosted security meeting backs complete denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

SEOUL -- The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other major powers reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and support for diplomacy toward the goal during a regional security forum, a statement showed Thursday.

The chair's statement was released five days after the annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, with the attendance of top diplomats from the ASEAN member states, the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.

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(LEAD) Defense chief stresses priority on building key deterrence system

SEOUL -- South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup instructed his ministry and affiliated agencies Wednesday to prioritize investing in building a key deterrence system, his office said, as Seoul seeks to bolster defense amid evolving North Korean security threats.

Lee gave the instruction during a session of the ministry's task force charged with developing the Defense Reform 4.0 initiative aimed at nurturing a sturdier military based on cutting-edge technologies, like artificial intelligence and robots.

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S. Korea, U.S. to begin preparatory drills next week ahead of major combined exercise

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States plan to kick off preliminary military drills next week ahead of their major combined exercise later this month, informed sources said Tuesday.

The allies are set to begin the four-day South Korea-led crisis management drills Tuesday in the runup to the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise set to run from Aug. 22-Sept. 1, according to the sources.

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U.S. imposes sanctions on crypto mixer over ties with N. Korean hackers

WASHINGTON -- The United States imposed sanctions on virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash on Monday for its involvement in laundering virtual currency stolen by North Korean hackers.

The Department of Treasury said the currency mixer helped launder over US$455 million stolen by North Korea's state-sponsored hacking group, known as the Lazarus Group, in what it called the "largest known virtual currency heist to date."

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USFK reveals last month's live-fire drills involving allies' special commandos

SEOUL -- The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) revealed Monday that South Korean and American special commandos conducted combined military drills at a northeastern firing range last month, in an apparent show of firepower against evolving North Korean threats.

In a Facebook post, the USFK's Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR) showed three photos depicting the allied forces conducing live-fire close air support during an exercise at Pilsung Range in Gangwon Province on July 27 and 28.
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