U.S. VP Harris set to visit Korean DMZ after Kim’s missile test

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris holds a bilateral assembly with South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (not pictured) in Tokyo, Japan September 27, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool

TOKYO, Sept 27 (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will go to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the Koreas on Thursday in a bid to indicate Washington’s dedication to the South’s safety, in accordance with U.S. and South Korean officers.

The go to, introduced on Tuesday, comes days after North Korea fired a ballistic missile in direction of the ocean and amid fears of a doable nuclear check because the Biden administration’s makes an attempt at outreach to North Korean chief Kim Jong Un have failed.

Harris’ go to, which might be the primary by a senior Biden administration official, was publicly introduced by South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo throughout a gathering with the U.S. vp in Tokyo and was later confirmed by a U.S. official.

On Monday in New York, the North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Music, accused Washington of pursuing hostile insurance policies that have been inflicting a “vicious cycle of pressure and confrontation.”

A U.S. plane provider is within the space for joint drills with the South Korean navy this week in what Kim referred to as an “extraordinarily harmful act” that would drive the peninsula to the brink of conflict.

Harris is within the area to guide a U.S. presidential delegation to the funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday.

The DMZ go to will underscore the power of the alliance between Seoul and Washington “within the face of any threats posed” by North Korea, mentioned the U.S. official, who requested to not be named discussing a visit that Harris has not formally introduced.

Harris will tour the DMZ, meet with service members, obtain an operational briefing from U.S. commanders, mirror on the shared sacrifice of American and South Korean troopers and reaffirm the “ironclad” dedication to South Korean safety, the official added.

“Your go to to the DMZ and Seoul will probably be very symbolic demonstrations of your sturdy commitments to safety and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Han mentioned.

A number of former U.S. presidents, and Biden himself earlier than he grew to become president, have visited the DMZ, however former President Donald Trump grew to become the primary to have met a North Korean chief there when he held a 3rd assembly with Kim Jong Un in 2019 as a part of his unsuccessful effort to steer Kim to surrender his nuclear and missile packages.

The DMZ is commonly described because the world’s final Chilly Battle frontier and has existed for the reason that 1950-53 Korean Battle resulted in a armistice quite than a peace treaty.

Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Further reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Josh Smith; Enhancing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Jacqueline Wong

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