North Korea has launched short-range ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in South Korea for the third Summit for Democracy, initiated by President Joe Biden.
The US Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the missile launch on Monday, stating that North Korea fired the missile toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
Japan’s Coast Guard also confirmed the launches, noting that the objects appeared to have already fallen.
These launches occurred shortly after the conclusion of 11 days of joint military drills between the US and South Korea, known as Freedom Shield exercises.
North Korea has consistently criticized these drills, considering them as preparation for an invasion.
Earlier this month, Pyongyang warned of consequences for this year’s Freedom Shield drills, which involved a larger number of troops compared to previous years. Approximately 27,000 US soldiers stationed in South Korea participated in the exercises.
This missile test is the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by North Korea this year, including one involving a missile with a maneuverable hypersonic warhead on January 14.
Following the missile launches, Blinken and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed the opening of the Summit for Democracy, focusing on the role of technology in both promoting and undermining democracy.
Blinken’s remarks coincided with recent actions in the US, such as the passage of a bill in the House of Representatives that could potentially lead to the ban of the popular social media app TikTok, owned by Chinese developer ByteDance.
While the democracy summit has been initiated by President Biden, it has faced criticism in previous years due to its selective invitation list, with countries like Thailand and Turkey reportedly excluded.
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