North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its coast just one day before Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korea announced the latest launch by its despotic neighbors to the north in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The missile test was the second this week for Kim Jong Un’s hermit kingdom.
KAMALA HARRIS TO VISIT KOREAN DMZ AS KIM REGIME UPS THREATS
The missiles lifted off 10 minutes apart from North Korea’s capital region and flew toward the water off the east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. It also noted that it has decided to increase its surveillance and is maintaining military readiness.
The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement that they will “dedicate maximum effort to gather and analyze information, and provide the public speedy and adequate information,” “ensure the safety of aircraft, vessels, and other assets,” and “take all possible measures for precaution, including readiness for contingencies.”
North Korea has increased the frequency of these tests in 2021, having conducted more than 30 ballistic weapons tests, including its first intercontinental ballistic missiles since 2017. Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has said his country will “never give up” its nuclear weapons, according to the state media.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of South Korea has described the country as an imminent threat.
The missile launch comes after Harris’s visit for Thursday was announced earlier this week. Harris will tour sites at the DMZ, meet with service members, and receive an operational briefing from U.S. commanders, according to a White House official. The visit was announced by Han during a meeting with Harris in Tokyo and confirmed by the White House in a statement.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The highly symbolic stop demonstrates the United States’s strong commitment to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Han said. “We are working with you and U.S. in dealing with North Korea,” he added.
The U.S. and South Korean navies are conducting drills off the latter’s east coast in a four-day exercise spanning this week that includes the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan.
