North Korea fires ballistic missiles during Blinken's Seoul visit & South Korea-US drills. Tensions rise amid regional diplomatic efforts. (Getty Images)
North Korea conducted its first ballistic missile launch in two months on Monday, coinciding with the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Seoul for a conference on advancing democracy hosted by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
South Korea's military confirmed that the missile was fired towards the east of the Korean peninsula. Japan's coast guard also noted the launch, reporting that the missile had fallen into the sea.
Shortly after, Japan detected a second apparent ballistic missile launch by North Korea, with both missiles falling outside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
In recent weeks, North Korea has been engaging in military exercises utilizing conventional weapons, often supervised by its leader, Kim Jong Un.
This demonstration of military capability from Pyongyang comes as South Korea and the United States concluded large-scale joint military drills that lasted for ten days until last Thursday.
Additionally, South Korea conducted military exercises on Sunday involving marines, attack helicopters, and amphibious assault vehicles. These drills aimed to bolster troop numbers and reinforce western islands near the sea border with North Korea, an area previously targeted by North Korean attacks in 2010.
Antony Blinken, participating in the Summit for Democracy conference hosted by South Korea, will also hold discussions with his South Korean counterpart. The summit, initiated by US President Joe Biden, seeks to address the global challenges of democratic regression and the erosion of rights and freedoms.
North Korea's last ballistic launch occurred on January 14, involving an intermediate-range hypersonic missile. This launch was purportedly conducted to test new booster engines and a maneuverable warhead.
Subsequently, North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles off its east coast a month later, including a new surface-to-sea missile, as part of a series of tests.
