On Tuesday, the North continued its salvo against the U.S. and South Korea over their military drills, which the regime has long slammed as a rehearsal for invasion.
"This cannot be interpreted otherwise than a grave provocation," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the North will continue to bolster its nuclear capability as long as the U.S. military threats persist.
Meanwhile, a Korean human rights activist reported that two North Koreans who fled poor conditions at a Russian logging camp and later worked odd jobs sought asylum Tuesday at the South Korean Consulate in the eastern Russian port city of Vladivostok.
Rev. Peter Chung, head of the Seoul-based human rights group Justice for North Korea, said the two, both 46, would ask to be sent to the United States.
