North Korea conducted an illegal missile launch hours after US Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), scoring its third violation of UN sanctions this week, the South Korean military reported.
Two short-range ballistic missiles were launched into the ocean off the east coast of the North, according to the report, per BBC News. Vice Pres. Kamala Harris concluded her four-day journey to Asia with a meeting with the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and a stop at the DMZ.
Harris Blasts North Korea
About two hours after Harris' flight to Washington took off, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the ocean off its east coast, according to the South Korean military. According to Japan's Defense Minister, Yasukazu Hamada, the missiles traveled roughly 300 km (186.4 miles), attaining a full height of 50 km (31 miles).
The data suggests that North Korea likely fired short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM). Harris said the highly guarded DMZ reminded her of the "dramatically" separate courses the two Koreas had taken. According to a report from Reuters, the US Vice President noted: "In the North, we see a brutal dictatorship, rampant human rights violations, and an unlawful weapons program that threatens peace and stability."
She referred to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), saying that the US and the world desire a "stable and peaceful Korean peninsula" where the DPRK poses no danger. Thursday morning, Harris met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, soon after she arrived in Seoul, the country's capital. Both denounced Pyongyang's conduct.
The White House said in a statement that the two leaders criticized Pyongyang's "provocative" nuclear language and ballistic missile tests in a statement released by the White House, and they "reaffirmed" their aligned pursuits for full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
The vice president underlined the United States' commitment to safeguarding South Korea, the report continued. In their discussions, Harris and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also denounced North Korea's escalating nuclear rhetoric and a slew of missile launches, the most recent of which took place on Wednesday.
In addition, Harris restated the United States' commitment to providing its Asian ally with the entire spectrum of US "defense capabilities."
US Military Personnel Tour VP Harris at The DMZ
For American politicians looking to demonstrate their willingness to stand tough against aggression, visiting the DMZ has almost become a custom, according to AP News.
Harris proceeded to the top of a ridge at the DMZ, close to watchtowers and surveillance equipment. A South Korean officer pointed out military facilities on the southern side as she peered through large binoculars. An American officer showed the US Vice President some of the defenses, such as claymore mines and barbed-wire fences, along the military demarcation line.
Harris next went to one of a group of blue buildings that crosses the line of demarcation, where an American officer described how talks with North Korea are still held there. He claimed that occasionally they use a megaphone and that other times they transmit notes back and forth.
Fears that North Korea is poised to execute a nuclear test prompted Harris' visit to the area. According to South Korean sources, North Korea is now ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test. The last time DPRK hold such a test was in 2017.
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