Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

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

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N. Korean leader touts Putin's leadership against 'U.S. threat' in birthday message

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his 70th birthday praising his leadership against "challenges and threats" from the United States, Pyongyang's state media said Friday.

In the letter, Kim also lauded Putin's "signal achievements in attaining the grand strategic target for building powerful Russia" through his "energetic activities," according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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N. Korea draws up guidelines for emergency health crisis, natural disasters

SEOUL -- North Korea has come up with new guidelines on how to cope with the country's emergency health crisis and natural disasters at a key parliamentary meeting, its state media said Friday, amid efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and frequent flood damage.

The plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), held in Pyongyang the previous day, adopted the law on emergency response, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

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(LEAD) 12 N.K. warplanes fly in formation, apparently stage firing drills: S. Korean military

SEOUL -- Twelve North Korean military aircraft flew in formation and presumably conducted a firing exercise Thursday, Seoul officials said, in apparent protest over recent military drills between South Korea and the United States.

The group of eight fighter jets and four bombers staged the formation flight north of the inter-Korean air boundary at around 2 p.m., and they were thought to have conducted air-to-surface firing drills, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

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(LEAD) N. Korea rebukes redeployment of U.S. aircraft carrier to East Sea

SEOUL -- North Korea condemned the United States on Thursday for redeploying a U.S. aircraft carrier to the waters east of South Korea, saying the move poses a "grave" threat to stability in the region.

The North's foreign ministry made the condemnation in a public notice, a day after the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier returned to waters near the Korean Peninsula for a joint exercise with South Korea and Japan following the North's firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) earlier this week.

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(2nd LD) N. Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles into East Sea: S. Korean military

SEOUL -- North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, after a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was redeployed to the waters the previous day.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the Samsok area in Pyongyang between 6:01 a.m. and 6:23 a.m.

It said one SRBM flew more than 350 kilometers at an apogee of roughly 80 km, with the other traveling around 800 km at the maximum altitude of some 60 km .

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(4th LD) N. Korea fires IRBM over Japan: S. Korean military

SEOUL -- North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) over Japan on Tuesday in its first launch of an IRBM in eight months, according to South Korea's military.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from Mupyong-ri in the northern province of Jagang at 7:23 a.m. and that the missile flew some 4,500 kilometers at an apogee of around 970 km at a top speed of Mach 17.

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N. Korea supports Russia's proclaimed annexation of Ukrainian territory

SEOUL -- North Korea expressed support Tuesday for Russia's latest annexation of Ukrainian territory, while accusing the United States of "abusing" the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).

Russia on Friday vetoed the UNSC resolution denouncing Moscow's proclaimed annexation of four regions in Ukraine, including the People's Republic of Donetsk, following referendums in the territory late last month.
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