The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.
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(LEAD) S. Korea orders civilians on western border islands to evacuate over N.K.’s artillery firing
INCHEON — Civilians on the western border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong were ordered to evacuate to shelters Friday, officials said, as North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells off its west coast.
The emergency evacuation order was given at 12:02 p.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. on Yeongpyeong at the request of the South Korean military, according to the Ongjin County office in the western port city of Incheon.
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(LEAD) Unification ministry to dissolve foundation handling affairs of Kaesong complex
SEOUL — The unification ministry said Thursday it has decided to dissolve the foundation in charge of assisting the operation of a now-shuttered joint industrial complex in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong amid frosty inter-Korean ties.
The move came nearly eight years after South Korea shut down the industrial
complex in the namesake city in protest of North Korea’s nuclear test and its long-range missile launch.
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Unification ministry accuses N. Korea of attempting to divide society ahead of elections
SEOUL — The unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs on Thursday denounced North Korea for attempting to divide South Korean society with threats and far-fetched criticisms ahead of the general elections in April.
The accusation came as North Korea has been ramping up verbal threats against Seoul, with leader Kim Jong-un saying there is no point in seeking reconciliation and unification with the South during a recent key party meeting.
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(LEAD) Unification ministry launches early warning system for defectors at risk
SEOUL — The unification ministry said Tuesday it has activated a comprehensive data system to better detect North Korean defectors going through difficulties and better provide necessary support.
The system allows officials from relevant organizations, such as
the unification and labor ministries, as well as civic support groups, to access data on numerous indicators that signal possible crises in defector households, the ministry said.
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(LEAD) Defense chief warns N. Korea’s reckless provocations will become ‘prelude to destruction’
SEOUL — North Korea should be made to realize that provocative acts threatening South Korea will only serve as a prelude to its own destruction, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in a New Year’s Day message Monday.
Shin made the remark after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean ties as those of “two states hostile to each other” and called for stepped-up preparations to “suppress the whole territory of South Korea.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency