North Korea tests medium-range missile as Blinken visits Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a North Korean missile test Monday during his visit to Seoul served as a reminder of the need to deepen Washington’s cooperation with South Korea and Japan to deter an emboldened Pyongyang.

North Korea fired what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile around noon local time (10 p.m. Sunday ET), which flew more than 690 miles east before falling into the sea, according to the military South Korean.

Speaking hours later, Blinken said at a news conference that the launch underscored the importance of collaboration between the United States, South Korea and Japan, including on sharing data on missiles in real time and the holding of trilateral military exercises.

“Today’s launch is simply a reminder to all of us of the importance of our collaborative work,” he said.

Blinken also warned against strengthening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow. He said Washington believes Russia intends to share space and satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for its support for the war in Ukraine, in which more than 1,000 North Korean troops have been killed or injured.

President Joe Biden, who leaves office this month, has made progress in deepening trilateral cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan, despite historical problems that have often plagued relations between the Asian neighbors.

But political unrest in South Korea, as well as the imminent return of Donald Trump’s unpredictable power in the United States, raises the question of whether these efforts can be sustained.

South Korean lawmakers voted last month to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and suspend him from office after martial law declared on Dec. 3 stunned the country. Yoon’s impeachment trial is currently being heard before the Constitutional Court.

If Yoon is permanently removed from office, a presidential election would be called, and liberals – seen as likely to win that election – have criticized Yoon’s efforts to establish a partnership with Tokyo.

Blinken, who also met with acting President Choi Sang-mok on Monday, said at the news conference that while Washington had “serious concerns” about Yoon’s actions, it had confidence in the country’s institutions and in its democratic resilience.

Monday’s launch was Pyongyang’s first since November 5, when it fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles.

It’s unclear exactly what type of missile was fired, but North Korea’s IRBM tests last year featured a new solid-fuel model and carried what Pyongyang described as a hypersonic glide vehicle, a warhead designed to be capable of maneuvering and evading missile defenses.

The North has said it is working to produce solid-fuel missiles of all ranges. Solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fueled immediately before launch, are often easier and safer to use, and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect and more survivable than solid-fuel weapons. liquid fuel.