North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, a provocative move coinciding with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Seoul. The missiles, launched from Pyongyang, traveled distances of approximately 300-350 kilometers.
South Korea strongly condemned the launches as a “clear provocation”. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also denounced the actions, calling them “absolutely unacceptable” and a violation of U.N. resolutions. Both nations are coordinating with the United States to monitor the situation.
This act of aggression comes on the heels of recently concluded joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S. North Korea routinely views such exercises as a threat. Blinken is in Seoul for the Summit for Democracy conference, focused on addressing threats to democratic values worldwide.