Summary of external news in North Korea this week

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

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S. Korea, U.S. stage combined naval exercise in East Sea

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States began another joint naval exercise, involving a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, in waters east of the Korean Peninsula on Friday in order to reinforce the allies' operational capabilities against North Korean provocations, Seoul's military said.

The allies' navies kicked off the two-day maritime maneuvering drills in the international waters of the East Sea with a plan to stage operations later to escort the USS Ronald Reagan down to waters southeast of the southern island of Jeju, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

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(3rd LD) Yoon, Japan's Kishida strongly condemn N. Korea's missile launches

SEOUL -- President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida spoke by phone Thursday and strongly condemned North Korea's recent missile launches while agreeing on the need to warn the regime that its provocations will have consequences, the presidential office said.

The 25-minute phone call came two days after North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan in its most daring provocation in years, sending the Japanese people scrambling to evacuate and suspending train operations in some areas.

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S. Korea, U.S., Japan hold joint naval drills in East Sea involving Reagan carrier group

SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan staged another joint naval exercise in the East Sea on Thursday with a focus on countering nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, Seoul's military said.

The exercise involving the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group opened in the international waters of the sea hours after North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff

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S. Korean, U.S., Japanese nuclear envoys condemn N. Korea's missile provocation

SEOUL -- Top South Korean, U.S. and Japanese nuclear envoys strongly denounced North Korea's recent back-to-back missile provocations during their phone talks Thursday, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

Kim Gunn, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and his American counterpart, Sung Kim, voiced "serious concerns" over Pyongyang's test-firing of two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) earlier in the day. The provocation came two days after the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan.

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(3rd LD) USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier returns to East Sea after N. Korea's IRBM launch

SEOUL -- A U.S. aircraft carrier returned to the waters east of South Korea on Wednesday to join a trilateral exercise with South Korea and Japan, Seoul officials said, in a show of force following North Korea's ballistic missile launch earlier this week.

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier left the waters last week after it engaged in a bilateral naval exercise with South Korea and then a trilateral one also involving Japan.

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(3rd LD) Allies fire 4 missiles into East Sea in response to N. Korea's provocation: military

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States fired four ground-to-ground missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday in joint drills, a day after North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch, according to the South's military.

The two sides each launched two Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, which precisely hit mock targets and demonstrated the allies' deterrence capability, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

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(LEAD) Biden condemns N. Korea's missile launch: White House

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Joe Biden strongly condemned North Korea's firing of a long-range ballistic missile in a call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the White House said Tuesday.

The call came after the North launched an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japanese territory on Tuesday (Seoul time).

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S. Korean F-15K fighter fires 2 JADAM precision bombs in response to N.K. missile launch

SEOUL -- A South Korean F-15K fighter fired two JADAM precision bombs at a firing range on a Yellow Sea island on Tuesday, in response to North Korea's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launch earlier in the day, the military said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that the F-15K dropped the Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs at a target in the range on the uninhabited island of Jikdo following air drills with U.S. warplanes in a combined strike package.

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N. Korea preparing for new ICBM, SLBM tests: Seoul ministry

SEOUL -- North Korea has been preparing for test launches to master technologies for new liquid-fuel intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles while remaining ready for a nuclear test, South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry made the assessment in a policy report to a parliamentary audit that kicked off just hours after North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan in its first launch of an IRBM in eight months.
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