Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
Korea's Kim attends concert marking Int'l Women's Day with wife, daughter SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a concert marking International Women's Day with his wife and daughter Ju-ae, and hailed women's role in national development, state media said Monday. Korea's Kim reaffirms relations with China in letter with Xi Jinping: KCNA SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his country's unwavering stance to advance ties with China in reply to a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North's state media said Tuesday. Kim sent the letter to Xi the previous day in response to a message congratulating him on his reelection as general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea at a party congress last month, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. ------------ N. Korea's Kim oversees another cruise missile test from destroyer amid Seoul-Washington military drills SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon destroyer, state media reported Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States have kicked off their annual springtime military drills.

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SEOUL, March 13 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of domestic news in North Korea this week.
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N. Korea's Kim attends concert marking Int'l Women's Day with wife, daughter
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a concert marking International Women's Day with his wife and daughter Ju-ae, and hailed women's role in national development, state media said Monday.
Kim attended the performance at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium the previous day with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his teenage daughter, while female party and government officials, workers and members of foreign missions were also present, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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N. Korea's Kim reaffirms relations with China in letter with Xi Jinping: KCNA
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his country's unwavering stance to advance ties with China in reply to a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North's state media said Tuesday.
Kim sent the letter to Xi the previous day in response to a message congratulating him on his reelection as general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea at a party congress last month, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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N. Korea to hold congress of largest youth organization next month
SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will hold a congress of the country's largest youth organization next month as a follow-up to a recent party congress in a bid to spur the implementation of party decisions, state media said Tuesday.
The Socialist Patriotic Youth League, the country's largest youth organization, decided at a meeting the previous day to convene a congress in late April in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
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N. Korean leader's sister warns of 'terrible consequences' amid S. Korea-U.S. military drills
SEOUL -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday condemned the ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, warning of "unimaginably terrible consequences."
Kim Yo-jong, a department director at the ruling party, issued the warning in a press statement a day after Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual springtime military exercise, the Freedom Shield, for a 11-day run.
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N. Korea rallies voters ahead of next week's parliamentary elections
SEOUL -- North Korea on Tuesday urged voter participation ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, the first such polls in seven years, calling them an "important event" to strengthen the national social system.
The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, described parliamentary elections set for Sunday as an "important starting point" in implementing the new goals adopted at last month's ninth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.
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N. Korea's Kim oversees another cruise missile test from destroyer amid Seoul-Washington military drills
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the Choe Hyon destroyer, state media reported Wednesday, as South Korea and the United States have kicked off their annual springtime military drills.
The North's leader observed the test via video Tuesday, stressing that it is important to maintain and expand a "powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Photos published by state media showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae overseeing the test.
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N. Korea supports Iran's choice of new supreme leader amid raging war in Middle East
SEOUL -- North Korea said Wednesday it respects the Iranian people's election of their new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was named earlier this week to succeed his father, who was killed during U.S.-Israeli attacks on Tehran.
A spokesperson at the North's foreign ministry made the remarks after Khamenei, a son of late former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was named the country's new supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts on Sunday.
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N. Korea speeds up preparations for next week's parliamentary elections
SEOUL -- North Korea has been speeding up its preparations for next week's parliamentary elections by setting up election committees at various levels and reviewing qualifications of candidates for deputies to the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), according to state media Wednesday.
North Korea will elect deputies to the 15th SPA on Sunday as a follow-up step to last month's key party congress. North Korea typically holds parliamentary elections every five years, but the upcoming vote will mark the first since 2019.
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N. Korea's Kim, daughter test pistols together at munitions factory
SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a factory for light, portable munitions, where he and his teenage daughter tested pistols together, according to state media Thursday.
Kim oversa

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Korea rallies voters ahead of next week's parliamentary elections SEOUL -- North Korea on Tuesday urged voter participation ahead of next week's parliamentary elections, the first such polls in seven years, calling them an "important event" to strengthen the national social system.
- The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, described parliamentary elections set for Sunday as an "important starting point" in implementing the new goals adopted at last month's ninth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. ------------ N.
- The North's leader observed the test via video Tuesday, stressing that it is important to maintain and expand a "powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

### Areas for Consideration
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### Implications
- Korea to hold congress of largest youth organization next month SEOUL, March 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will hold a congress of the country's largest youth organization next month as a follow-up to a recent party congress in a bid to spur the implementation of party decisions, state media said Tuesday.
- North Korea will elect deputies to the 15th SPA on Sunday as a follow-up step to last month's key party congress.
- North Korea typically holds parliamentary elections every five years, but the upcoming vote will mark the first since 2019. ------------ N.
- Korea set to elect new leadership at largest women's organization SEOUL -- North Korea will hold a congress of the country's largest women's organization to elect new leadership, as it steps up the implementation of key decisions adopted at last month's ruling party congress, according to state media Thursday.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers korea, north, seoul topics. Notable strengths include discussion of korea. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1382.