Summary of inter-Korean news this week

SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.

Unification ministry hopes Kim's Dandong trip revives dialogue

SEOUL -- The unification ministry said Monday it hopes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's one-day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong last week will lead to the resumption of dialogue with neighboring nations.

Kim made a surprise visit to Dandong on Saturday, where he met with Wang Huning, China's fourth-highest-ranking official, as North Korea and China are seeking to deepen their traditional ties.

S. Korea sees possibility of N. Korea-U.S. dialogue discussions during Kim Jong-un's China visit

SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday he sees the possibility that North Korea and China discussed the resumption of dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington during the North's leader Kim Jong-un's surprise visit to China's border city of Dandong last week.

Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of the foreign and unification ministries, responding to Rep. Kwon Young-se's question about whether discussions on North Korea-U.S. dialogue may have taken place during Kim's visit.

N. Korean artillery deployed along western border not seen as new weapon system: S. Korean military

SEOUL -- North Korean artillery deployed along the western front line appears to be legacy weaponry rather than a new system that Pyongyang recently threatened to forward-deploy, a South Korean military official said Tuesday.

What appears to be North Korean self-propelled artillery has been spotted farther south than its usual positions along the western front near the inter-Korean border, close enough to be captured by South Korean media cameras.

Kim's China trip may have been more than economic event: unification minister

SEOUL -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's trip to China last week may have been more than an economic event, given the makeup of his delegation.

"The fact that both sides fielded their diplomatic and security teams deserves a close look," Chung said at a parliamentary audit, responding to a lawmaker's question about the meaning of Kim's surprise one-day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday.

3 ex-officials appeal to top court over 2019 deportation of N. Koreans

SEOUL -- Three former government officials Tuesday appealed an appellate ruling sentencing them to suspended prison terms for forcibly repatriating two North Korean fishermen in 2019, taking the case to the Supreme Court, sources said.

Last week, the Seoul High Court upheld a lower court's guilty verdicts for Chung Eui-yong, former national security adviser; former National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon; and former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul.

Prosecution not to appeal partial acquittal of ex-officials in 2019 deportation of N. Koreans

SEOUL -- Prosecutors on Wednesday decided not to appeal the partial acquittals of three former government officials on charges related to the forced repatriation of two North Korean fishermen in 2019.

Earlier this month, the Seoul High Court upheld a lower court's guilty verdicts for Chung Eui-yong, former national security adviser; former National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon; and former Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul. It also upheld the acquittal of former presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min, who had earlier been convicted over his involvement in the case.

(LEAD) N. Korea fires around dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS

SEOUL -- North Korea fired around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday, the South Korean military said.

The missiles were launched from the Wonsan area at around 12:30 p.m., with further analysis of their flight distances and other specifications currently under way, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

Seoul mulling co-sponsoring U.N. resolution on N. Korean human rights

SEOUL -- The unification ministry is in talks with relevant government agencies on whether to co-sponsor this year's U.N General Assembly resolution on North Korean human rights, a ministry official said Thursday.

"It is difficult to comment on the specifics at this stage," the official told reporters, adding that the government's position will be finalized "soon."

Cheong Wa Dae urges N. Korea to cease provocations following missile launch

SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- The Office of National Security at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae held an emergency meeting Thursday and urged North Korea to cease provocations after Pyongyang fired a dozen short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.

The meeting was attended by officials from the defense ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to analyze and assess the North's latest missile launch, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

N.K. leader may have discussed potential talks with U.S. during China visit: spy agency

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have conveyed Pyongyang's position on potential talks with the United States during his recent visit to China, Seoul's spy agency told lawmakers Thursday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment during a closed-door parliamentary intelligence committee audit, according to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Yoo Yeong-ha of the main opposition People Power Party.

N. Korea appears to test propaganda loudspeakers along border

SEOUL -- North Korea appears to have conducted a test broadcast of its propaganda loudspeakers in areas along the inter-Korean border Thursday, a week after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister issued a warning.

Residents in the South Korean border city of Paju said that loudspeaker broadcasts from North Korea began at 6 a.m., adding the volume was relatively low, but the sounds were audible from the early morning.