North Korea launches missile during US secretary of state's visit to Seoul
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that North Korea's launch of a medium-range missile during his visit to Seoul on Monday, 5 January, serves as a reminder of the need to deepen Washington's cooperation with South Korea and Japan in order to deter an increasingly aggressive Pyongyang.
As reported by Reuters, according to South Korean military reports, North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile around noon (03:00 GMT) that flew over 1,100 kilometres eastward and landed in the sea.
Speaking at a press conference a few hours later, Blinken emphasised that the launch underscored the importance of collaboration between the US, South Korea and Japan, including real-time missile data sharing and conducting trilateral military drills.
"Today's launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our collaborative work is," he said.
Blinken also warned of North Korea’s growing ties with Moscow. He said Washington believes that Russia intends to share space and satellite technologies with North Korea in exchange for its support in the war against Ukraine.
President Joe Biden, who is leaving office this month, has made progress in deepening trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan, despite historical tensions that often complicated relations between the Asian neighbours.
However, political turmoil in South Korea and the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House have raised doubts about the continuity of such efforts.
Monday's launch marked the first since 5 November, when Pyongyang fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles.
It was not immediately clear what type of missile was launched, but last year's North Korean tests of medium-range ballistic missiles demonstrated a new solid-fuel design.
North Korea has stated that it is working to make all of its missiles solid-fuelled. Solid-fuel missiles do not require fuelling immediately before launch, are often simpler and safer to operate and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquid-fuelled weapons.
US intelligence agencies believe that the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia was initiated by North Korea rather than Russia.
The Pentagon predicts an increase in casualties among the North Korean military, which continues to take part in the fighting in Kursk Oblast.