US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, the Republic of Korea, Sept 29, 2022. (JUNG YEON-JE/POOL PHOTO VIA AP)
TOKYO – US Vice President Kamala Harris was headed to Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas on Thursday, just hours after the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea test-fired missiles.
Aides said the visit is intended to show unwavering US commitment to the Republic of Korea's security.
The missile test is the second since Sunday and comes two days after ROK and US forces conducted a military drill in waters off the ROK’s east coast involving an aircraft carrier.
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DPRK leader Kim Jong-un has said it is developing nuclear weapons and missiles to defend against US threats.
Harris' visit to the DMZ is the first by a senior Biden administration official and is expected to follow a meeting with Yoon.
Several former US presidents, and Biden himself before he became president, have visited the DMZ, but former President Donald Trump became the first to have met a DPRK leader there when he held a third meeting with Kim Jong-un in 2019.
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The DMZ has existed since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.