Seoul – US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to condemn North Korea’s weapons test in Seoul on Thursday ahead of her first visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating Korea, just hours after the isolated missiles were fired. been tested.
A White House official said Harris held talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol in Seoul, where he was expected to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launch as well as China’s actions in the Taiwan Strait.
The official said she would also discuss Seoul’s concerns over changes in US electric vehicle subsidies and the tripartite ties with Japan.
Harris described the alliance as a “linkpin” of security and prosperity on the Korean peninsula and the Indo-Pacific and hoped to further strengthen ties.
“I am here to strengthen the strength of our alliance and strengthen our work together,” she told Yoon at the start of their meeting.
Yoon also vowed to boost the coalition, saying Harris’ visit would be “another turning point” in achieving that goal, following US President Joe Biden’s visit last May.
The aide said Harris’ visit to the DMZ was intended to demonstrate America’s unwavering commitment to South Korea’s security, but took on new urgency after two short-range ballistic missiles were fired off North Korea’s east coast on Wednesday.
Biden’s allies are forming alliances to manage China in the region, including Taiwan. But South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol told CNN in an interview aired on Sunday that North Korea’s provocation in the conflict over Taiwan would be more likely and the coalition should address that concern first.
The missile test is the second since Sunday and comes two days after South Korean and US forces conducted a military exercise in waters off South Korea’s east coast involving an aircraft carrier.
The South Korean and Japanese navies said Friday they will conduct a trilateral anti-submarine exercise with US forces, designed to improve their ability to counter North Korean threats, including its submarine-launched ballistics. Including missiles.
The exercise will bring together warships including the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, USS Chancellorsville guided-missile cruiser, USS Barry guided missile destroyer, South Korea’s Munmu the Great Destroyer and Japan’s Asahi tanker.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said he is developing nuclear weapons and missiles to defend against US threats.
After stopping at a military base in Japan, Harris described the recent missile launch as “part of an illegal weapons program that threatens regional stability and violates several UN Security Council resolutions.”
Harris met separately with a group of South Korean women leaders, including Choi Soo-yeon, CEO of Internet service provider Naver Corp (035420.KS); Yoon Yuh-jung, an actress who won an Oscar for her role in “Minari”; Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yoon; and the famous novelist Kim Sagawa.
A White House official said women had made “progress in building a more inclusive and equitable society,” and the session was meant to demonstrate the importance placed by the Biden administration on gender equality.
Harris’ visit to the DMZ is the first by a senior Biden administration official and is expected later on Thursday.
Several former US presidents, and Biden himself before becoming president, have visited the DMZ, but former President Donald Trump became the first person to meet the North Korean leader there when he held his third meeting with Kim Jong Un in 2019. A failed attempt to persuade Kim to give up his nuclear and missile programs.
The DMZ is often described as the frontier of the world’s last Cold War and has ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty since the 1950–53 Korean War.