Kamala Harris Visits S Korea One Day After N Korea Tested Missiles

September 29, 2022 By Omal J

(Image Credit Google)

A day after North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, US Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in South Korea. The launch comes as the US and South Korea perform joint naval drills around the Korean peninsula. In addition, it breaches UN sanctions. It's the second test this week and part of Pyongyang's record year of launches. Furthermore, the timing of the latest test is critical. The reason is that during the visit to South Korea, Kamala Harris will travel to the border and the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone or DMZ, which separates the North and South.

On Wednesday, she addressed US troops at a military base in Japan, criticizing Pyongyang's recent tests and its "illicit weapons program which threatens regional stability."

North Korea's weapons tests

The denuclearisation talks between North and South Korea are at a draw as both nations continue strengthening their defenses. So, according to BBC, the launches are a part of a wider pattern of escalation. For instance, the North has test-fired over 30 weapons this year. Furthermore, the recent launch followed the one on Sunday before the naval drills began. In addition, both launches are the first since early June. Kamala Harris

BBC reported that the South Korean Joint Chiefs stated, "North Korea's provocations will further strengthen the South Korean-US deterrence and response capability and only deepen North Korea's isolation from the international community." Moreover, experts claim the launches are in retaliation to the joint naval drills as Washington and Seoul boost their protection of South Korea. The reason is that in a statement to the General Assembly earlier this week, Pyongyang's ambassador to the UN, Song Kim, condemned the US and South Korea for their military drills, saying they were dragging the Peninsula to "the brink of war." He added that the United States "hostile policy" towards North Korea was the reason the world was now "heading into a much more dangerous phase."

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On another note, earlier this month, North Korea passed legislation declaring itself a nuclear weapons state. Besides, for months intelligence from the US and South Korea has suggested the North is ready to test a nuclear weapon but is waiting for the ideal political moment. It would be its seventh nuclear test and its first in five years. Kamala Harris

And yesterday, South Korea's spy agency told politicians that the nuclear test might happen between mid-October and early November, presumably seizing a gap between the Chinese Party Congress and before the US mid-term elections. Therefore, in light of the secretive Communist state's boldness over its possession of nuclear weapons, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, has focused on strengthening South Korea's alliance with the United States to handle the threat posed by North Korea.