North Korea tests advanced ballistic missile during Antony Blinken's visit to Seoul

 South Korea and the United States condemned the test, calling it a provocation. The ballistic missile test is a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Statement by the United States and South Korea

Monday, January 6, 2025

Pyongyang (UrduPoint News Today/ Sputnik - International Press Agency. January 06, 2025) The South Korean military said that North Korea has tested another ballistic missile that flew 1,100 kilometers before landing in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. According to Arab News, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missile was launched from an area near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The US and South Korean forces had anticipated the launch. They condemned the test, calling it a provocation that poses a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The South Korean military's joint chiefs of staff said the military is strengthening its surveillance and defense posture to share missile-related information with the United States and Japan in preparation for possible additional tests. The missile test by North Korea comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Seoul for talks with South Korean allies on North Korea's nuclear threat and other issues. Antony Blinken’s visit comes amid political turmoil following South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-term martial law decree and subsequent impeachment by parliament last month, which experts say has hurt the country’s ability to build a solid relationship with Trump before returning to the White House. At a political conference in late 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to implement the “toughest” anti-American policy, criticizing the Biden administration’s efforts to strengthen security cooperation with Seoul and Tokyo.

North Korean state media did not elaborate on Kim Jong-un's policy plans or make any specific comments about Trump. During his first term, Trump met with Kim Jong-un three times to discuss North Korea's nuclear program. Experts say that after Donald Trump returns to the White House, he will first focus on Russia, the Ukraine conflict, and the war in Gaza. The Korean issue will not be his first priority.