As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to inaugurate a democracy summit in South Korea, North Korea escalated tensions by launching short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters, officials reported. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff identified the target area as the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, with Japan’s Coast Guard confirming the missiles had landed.
This provocative move follows the conclusion of the Freedom Shield joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, which North Korea has historically criticized as invasion rehearsals. Pyongyang had previously issued a stark warning regarding the drills, which this year saw participation double, involving 27,000 US troops stationed in South Korea.
The missile test, which included a demonstration of a hypersonic warhead earlier in the year, is part of North Korea’s ongoing weapons development program. The test coincided with the Summit for Democracy in South Korea, co-hosted by Blinken and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, where discussions on the dual nature of technology in promoting and undermining democracy took place.
This summit, a key initiative by US President Joe Biden, has faced scrutiny over its guest list, which has excluded countries like Thailand and Turkey, highlighting the complex landscape of global democracy and security relations.–Web Desk