Seoul’s military reported that North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Monday ( Mar 18 ), as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to South Korea to meet with top officials and attend a summit on democracy.
Blinken is in Seoul for the next Summit for Democracy, which the South is hosting this year, and he is scheduled to meet with his Asian equivalent on the outside for discussions.
Washington and Seoul, two of their most important joint military exercises, wrapped up next week, which sparked obnoxious retorts and tit-for-tat drills from Pyongyang, one of their biggest quarterly joint exercises.
The East Sea, which is a body of water known as the Sea of Japan, was the subject of an undefined ballistic missile launch by North Korea, according to Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Japan also confirmed the start, with the Japan Coast Guard reporting that the things appeared to have already fallen.
The annual Liberty Shield, which this year involved twice as many soldiers as it did this month, ended on Thursday just weeks after the start. The 11 days of joint activities were intended to strengthen South Korea and America’s deterrence against North Asian and North Korean missile risks.
Pyongyang this month warned that Seoul and Washington may be “dear rate” for the Freedom Shield training, and later revealed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had led an artillery product it claims was capable of striking the North Korean money.
Joint US-South Korean military exercises have long been condemned by the nuclear-armed North, calling them war performances. In response to earlier shared activities of this nature, it has conducted weapons testing in the past.
The North has conducted its second nuclear missile test this year after Pyongyang launched one with a manoeuvrable fast weapon on January 14.
Blinken touched down on Sunday afternoon ahead of the republic conference, which will bring together government representatives, NGOs, and members of civil society. It will take place from March 18 to March 20.