Defiant North Korea fires more missiles on day Kamala Harris departs South Korea
- Hours after US Vice-President Kamala Harris flew home from a visit to S Korea, 2 missiles were fired 9 minutes apart from an area near the city of Sunchon
- It was the third round of missiles from N Korea this week as it expands its arsenal and attempts to pressure Washington into accepting it as a nuclear power
In a show of defiance, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, hours after US Vice-President Kamala Harris flew home from a visit to South Korea during which she emphasised the “ironclad” US commitment to the security of its Asian allies.
It was the third round of missile launches by North Korea this week, extending a record pace in weapons testing as it accelerates a push to expand its arsenal and pressure Washington to accept it as a nuclear power.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North Korean missiles were fired nine minutes apart from an area near the city of Sunchon, just north of the capital, Pyongyang, and flew toward waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan. It didn’t immediately release more details.
Japan’s military said it also detected a launch. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, while Harris was in Japan, and fired one before she left Washington on Sunday.
Harris earlier capped her four-day trip to Asia with a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and a stop at the demilitarised zone dividing the Korean peninsula, where she addressed the threat posed by the increasingly hostile North.
There are also concerns that North Korea may conduct a nuclear test, which would move the country closer to being acknowledged as a full-fledged nuclear power. Visiting the DMZ has become something of a ritual for American leaders hoping to show their resolve to stand firm against aggression.