Seoul: South Korean officials have reported that North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. The launch occurred as US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was scheduled to open a democracy summit in South Korea.
The US Joint Chiefs of Staff referred to the body of water which is also known as the Sea of Japan and stated that an unidentified ballistic missile was fired into the East Sea. Japan’s Coast Guard confirmed the launch and reported that the objects appeared fallen.
The missile launches occurred just days after the US and South Korea concluded 11 days of joint military drills called Freedom Shield. North Korea was consistently opposed to joint US-South Korea military training, referring to them as rehearsals for an invasion.
Earlier this month, the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, warned that this year’s Freedom Shield drills would come at a “dear price” for Seoul and Washington. The drills enclosed twice as many troops as last year and were held in South Korea, where approximately 27,000 US soldiers are stationed.
North Korea conducted a test that was the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations this year. One of the demonstrations featured a missile with a manoeuvrable hypersonic warhead.
After the missile launch, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol appeared on stage at the Summit for Democracy, which is being hosted by South Korea this year. They talked about how technology can play a role in both promoting and eroding democracy.
The Democracy Summit, an initiative of US President Joe Biden, faced criticism in previous years for its selective invite list. Reportedly, countries like Thailand and Turkey were excluded from the summit.
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