North Korea tests a missile during Blinken's visit to Seoul

2025-01-06 09:23:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said North Korea had tested a missile during his visit to Seoul on January 6. According to him, this action by Pyongyang is a reminder of the need to deepen cooperation between Washington, South Korea and Japan to oppose the North.

North Korea fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile around noon local time, which flew more than 1,100 kilometers to the east before crashing into the sea, Seoul's military said.

A few hours after this test, Blinken during a press conference said that this action by Pyongyang highlights the importance of cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan, including sharing real-time data on missiles, but also maintaining trilateral military exercises.

"Today's testing is a reminder to all of us of how important our cooperation is," the US diplomat stressed.

Blinken warned against deepening relations between Pyongyang and Moscow. He said Washington believes Russia is aiming to share space and satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for help fighting in Ukraine, where more than 1,000 North Korean soldiers are said to have been killed or wounded.

US President Joe Biden, who ends his term this month, has deepened cooperation with South Korea and Japan, despite disagreements between the Asian neighbors.

Both the political unrest in South Korea and the return to the White House of Donald Trump have raised questions about whether this cooperation will continue.

Lawmakers in South Korea voted last month to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and suspend him from office after he declared martial law on December 3. Now, the Constitutional Court is the one to decide whether he will be dismissed.

If Yoon steps down as president, a presidential election will be held, and the liberals - who are tipped to win - have been critical of Yoon's efforts to partner with Tokyo.

Blinken also said that while Washington has "deep concerns" about Yoon's actions, it is confident that South Korean institutions will succeed.

Otherwise, Pyongyang's missile launch was the first since November 5 last year, when it launched at least seven medium-range ballistic missiles.

It's unclear what type of missile North Korea has tested, but the country last year tested a solid-fueled missile that Pyongyang said was a hypersonic missile designed to evade air defenses.

Solid fuel missiles are easier and safer to operate, do not need much logistical support and are more difficult to detect by defense systems./
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