North Korea fires ballistic missile amid Blinken's South Korea visit
What's the story
North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Monday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Seoul.
This is Pyongyang's first missile test of 2025, after its last launch on November 5, 2024.
The latest test comes just two weeks ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Diplomatic response
Blinken condemns missile launch, meets South Korean acting president
During his visit, Blinken met South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok and reaffirmed the US's "unwavering" defense commitment to Seoul.
He also stressed the need for close diplomatic and security communication to deter potential provocations from North Korea.
At a joint press conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, Blinken condemned North Korea's missile launch as "another violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions."
International concerns
Blinken criticizes Russia's expanding cooperation with North Korea
Further, Blinken also slammed Russia for deepening space cooperation with Pyongyang, saying, "The DPRK is already receiving Russian military equipment and training."
Following the missile launch, which traveled about 1,100km before falling into the sea, Seoul has "strengthened surveillance and vigilance" and is closely coordinating with the US and Japan.
Alliance commitment
South Korea reaffirms commitment to trilateral cooperation
Blinken's trip to Seoul is probably his last as Secretary of State.
During his visit, he reiterated Washington's "ironclad commitment" to defending South Korea and spoke about bolstering bilateral cooperation with Choi Sang-mok.
Acting President Choi assured that South Korea would continue its diplomatic and security policies based on strong alliances, reiterating its commitment to agreements from a 2023 Camp David summit involving trilateral cooperation with Japan and the US.