Mere hours after Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Thursday, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, which traveled 180 to 217 miles, reaching a maximum altitude of 30 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan.
Fox News said these are the fourth and fifth short-range ballistic missiles launched by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the last five days, during the time that Harris has been in Japan, South Korea, and the DMZ. The Korea Times explained that North Korea last fired a ballistic missile in March 2020.
Harris denounced North Korea’s “brutal dictatorship” and talked of “destabilizing” the nation’s nuclear program. She viewed a military observation point in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea using binoculars during her visit on September 29, Voices of America reported.
The vice president’s visit to the DMZ was a “show of commitment” to supporting South Korea, the White House said. The visit with enlisted soldiers included examining military structures and defenses along the strongly fortified line.
In an apparent attempt at irony with a veiled reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s diplomatic efforts, Harris said North Korea should not consider improved relations with the U.S. as a reason to launch more missiles.
Harris committed a considerable political gaff, however, and said that the U.S. has a “solid alliance” with “North Korea,” which she did not pick up on at the time.
“It is an alliance that is strong and enduring,” she said about North Korea, although she likely was attempting to refer to South Korea.
The vice president then pledged U.S. assistance for South Korea’s defense against any North Korean aggression.
Military leaders in Panmunjom, a settlement on the border between North and South Korea, also informed Harris the region had spent several weeks perfecting its nuclear weapon production capabilities. Panmunjom is where the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953.
The North Korean side of the dividing line appeared long neglected. Tall weeds were growing there, and no troops were stationed at the guard posts facing south.
A couple of North Korean personnel dressed in hazmat suits approached the windows of a building within the Joint Security Area. They peered out the window with binoculars to see what was happening around Harris’ arrival.
Following the tour, Harris described South Korea as a “force for good on the globe,” noting a significant difference between it and the North. North Korean officials assured Harris that their government was open to discussions with the U.S.
North Korea often tests missile launches of many kinds, but there were no missile launches from North Korea during President Trump’s historic visit to the demilitarized zone in June 2019.
