North Korea launches Ballistic Missile as U.S. secretary visits Seoul

In a significant development, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the sea on Monday, marking its first such action in two months. The timing of the launch coincided with the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Seoul for a conference hosted by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, focused on advancing democracy.

South Korea’s military confirmed that the missile was fired to the east of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, Japan’s coast guard reported the launch and indicated that the missile had already fallen.

Shortly after, Japan reported detecting what appeared to be a second ballistic missile launch by North Korea, with both missiles falling outside its exclusive economic zone area.

Recent weeks have seen North Korea’s military conducting exercises using conventional weapons, often under the personal supervision of the country’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

This display of military strength by Pyongyang comes amid large-scale annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, which concluded just last Thursday.

In response to escalating tensions, the South Korean military mobilized marines, attack helicopters, and amphibious assault vehicles in drills aimed at reinforcing western islands near the sea border with North Korea, previously targeted in a 2010 bombing.

Secretary Blinken, along with other senior officials from around the world, is participating in the Summit for Democracy conference, initiated by U.S. President Joe Biden. The summit, which commences on Monday, seeks to address issues related to democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms globally.

North Korea’s last ballistic launch occurred on January 14, when it fired an intermediate-range hypersonic missile using solid fuel. Subsequently, in February, it launched multiple cruise missiles off its east coast, including what it claimed to be a new surface-to-sea missile, as part of a series of tests.