SEOUL: North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles on Monday in what analysts said was a calculated move to attract attention when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits South Korea for talks.
Blinken is attending the Third Democracy Summit and met with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul early Monday. He will also meet his South Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the event, as discussions are now likely to be dominated by the allies’ efforts to counter threats from the nuclear-armed North.
Washington and Seoul wrapped up one of their major annual joint military training exercises last week, prompting angry retorts and live fire drills from nuclear-armed Pyongyang, which denounces all such drills as rehearsals for an invasion.
Seoul’s military said it “detected the launch of what appeared to be several short-range ballistic missiles around 0744 (2244 GMT),” adding that they flew about 300 kilometers (186 miles) before descending into the East Sea, also known as the Missile. Sea of Japan.
“We closely share relevant information with the US and Japan and maintain maximum readiness,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff added.
Japanese media said three short-range ballistic missiles were fired, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemning the North’s “repeated and very frequent” weapons tests.
This “series of actions threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community. We do not tolerate it,” Kishida added.
The launches come just days after the annual Freedom Shield exercises in Seoul and Washington, which included double the number of troops this year, ended on Thursday.
Pyongyang warned this month that Seoul and Washington would pay a “heavy price” for the exercises and later announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was leading an artillery unit it says is capable of hitting the South Korean capital.
“It is a very deliberate move by Pyongyang to launch several missiles to show that they are capable of doing such an act even when the top US diplomat is in town,” Choi Gi-il, a professor of military studies at Sangii University, told AFP.
North Korea usually stages missile launches after joint US-South Korea drills “like a tit in the eye”, Han Kwon-hee of the Korea Defense Industry Studies Association told AFP.
According to him, Blinken’s presence only increases their motivation because “it means more attention to Washington and increases the pressure on the host Seoul.”
Monday’s ballistic missile test is the North’s second this year, after Pyongyang fired one with a steerable hypersonic warhead on January 14.
Blinken landed in South Korea on Sunday afternoon ahead of the March 18-20 democracy summit, which will bring together government officials, non-governmental organizations and members of civil society.
Seoul is one of Washington’s key regional allies, and the United States has deployed about 27,000 American troops in the South to help protect it from the nuclear-armed North.
Conservative President Yeol has strengthened ties with Washington and sought to bury a historic hatchet with former colonial power Japan to better protect himself from threats from Pyongyang.
So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its “main enemy,” abandoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over “even 0.001mm” of territorial encroachment.
Blinken will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, the ministry said, to discuss strengthening the alliance as Washington and Seoul seek to improve their so-called “extended deterrence” against North Korea.
The Democratic Summit has drawn some criticism for its selective invitation list, which excludes countries that consider themselves democratic, such as Thailand and Turkey.
After Seoul, Blinken will head to the Philippines, a trip that will reaffirm “our unwavering commitment to our Philippine ally,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
