SEOUL, July 4 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.
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N. Korea holds dog meat cooking contest, touts it as summer health food
SEOUL -- North Korea hosted a dog meat cooking contest in Pyongyang to elevate culinary standards for the red meat, state media has reported, touting it as a traditional source of energy for the summer season.
The "sweet meat" cooking competition, held recently at a large restaurant in the capital, drew around 200 cooks from across the city, twice the number who competed last year, the Korean Central Television reported Thursday.
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Pyongyang slams U.S. indictment of 4 N. Koreans in wire fraud as 'absurd smear campaign'
SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday denounced the United States' recent indictment of four North Korean nationals on charges of wire fraud and money laundering as "an absurd smear campaign."
Late last month, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia charged four North Koreans in connection with a wire fraud scheme through which they allegedly stole and laundered over US$900,000 in virtual currency. They were also placed on a wanted list.
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N. Korea bristles at Quad statement that demands Pyongyang's denuclearization
SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday lashed out at a recent statement by the United States, Australia, Japan and India that demands the North's complete denuclearization, accusing the Quad security grouping of committing a "coercive" act to change Pyongyang's stance.
North Korea's foreign ministry issued the criticism, carried by the Korean Central News Agency, days after the foreign ministers of the U.S.-led Quad reiterated their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in a statement adopted during their meeting in Washington.
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N. Korea urges vigilance against heavy monsoon rain
SEOUL -- North Korea on Thursday urged ranking officials to make thorough preparations as heavy monsoon rain is expected to soak the country this week.
The North's most widely read newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, called for "maximum vigilance and a prompt response posture," saying that any defenselessness or negligence in the face of heavy rain stems from a lack of responsibility, a poor sense of crisis or an ideological lapse.
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N. Korea opens large-scale coastal tourist zone this week
SEOUL -- North Korea has opened a large-scale coastal tourist zone in the eastern region, state media reported Wednesday, as the country seeks to nurture the tourism industry in an apparent bid to secure much-needed foreign currency amid international sanctions.
The Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area opened Tuesday, attracting many guests across the country, including from Pyongyang and North Hamgyong Province, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
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N. Korea's delegation of elite military academy leaves for Russia amid deepening ties
SEOUL -- A North Korean delegation, led by the chief of the country's major military school, has left for Russia, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday, amid deepening military cooperation between the two nations.
Kim Kum-chol, president of Kim Il Sung Military University, departed Pyongyang the previous day to visit the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
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Footage shows N.K. leader mourning soldiers believed killed in Russia
SEOUL -- North Korea's state media aired Monday images of its leader Kim Jong-un mourning over his soldiers believed to have been killed in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The images, released by Korean Central Television, showed Kim solemnly placing a North Korean flag over a coffin during a ceremony for the return of the remains of North Korean soldiers who were deployed and killed in Moscow's war against Kyiv.
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(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim meets Russian culture minister
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has met with Russia's Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation in culture and the arts, the North's state media reported Monday.
The meeting took place Sunday at the headquarters of the ruling party's Central Committee and was also attended by Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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