Seoul, South Korea – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris condemned North Korea’s “brutal dictatorship” and “destabilizing” weapons program throughout a Thursday go to to the demilitarized zone separating the 2 Koreas.
Harris’s DMZ cease got here lower than a day after North Korea fired two short-range missiles, including to what has already been a file variety of North Korean launches this yr.
A TV display exhibits a file picture of a North Korea missile launch throughout a news program on the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 28, 2022.
At the Panmunjom Truce Village that straddles North and South Korea, Harris condemned the missile checks, saying they’re “clearly a provocation.”
“In the North, we see a brutal dictatorship, rampant human rights violations and an unlawful weapons program that threatens peace and stability,” she stated.
Harris earlier Thursday met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who has pushed to enhance ties with the United States.
‘Our shared objective, the United States and the Republic of Korea, is an entire denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,’ Harris stated, utilizing South Korea’s official title.
Harris’ go to is supposed to reiterate the U.S. dedication to defend South Korea. About 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the Nineteen Fifties Korean War, which led to a truce moderately than a peace treaty.
At the DMZ, Harris greeted U.S. service members, listened to a briefing by senior army officers, and peered into the North utilizing massive black binoculars – a staple of many DMZ visits by U.S. presidents and vice presidents.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, heart, meets troopers and their households as she visits the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the 2 Koreas, in Panmunjom, South Korea, Sept. 29, 2022.
The Panmunjom Truce Village, the place the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, appeared largely deserted on the North Korean facet, with tall weeds piercing by means of the concrete sidewalks and steps. The lone exercise was three North Korean officers – wearing a white, full-body hazmat go well with – who often peered by means of a window.
Harris’ DMZ go to was the ultimate cease on a four-day go to to Asia. On Tuesday, Harris led the U.S. delegation on the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In Tokyo, Harris additionally touted the U.S. alliance relationship with Japan, the place the U.S. has about 50,000 troops.
During the journey, U.S. officers repeatedly targeted on the U.S. need to have Japan and South Korea work extra carefully on frequent threats comparable to North Korea.
Seoul-Tokyo ties are recurrently strained by disputes associated to Japan’s occupation of Korea earlier than World War II.
As Harris landed in Seoul, there have been indicators of larger cooperation among the many three international locations. South Korea’s army introduced it could quickly maintain trilateral anti-submarine workout routines with Japan and the United States. The workout routines, Seoul stated, would assist counter the North Korean menace.
North Korea has launched 34 ballistic missiles this yr, a file quantity. U.S. and South Korean officers additionally say the North has accomplished preparations to conduct its seventh nuclear take a look at.