SOUTH KOREA: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit the de-militarized zone (DMZ), dividing the two Koreas into two separate zones, on Thursday, in an attempt to showcase Washington’s solidarity with the South’s security, according to U.S. and South Korean officials.
The visit, announced on Tuesday, comes days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un fired a ballistic missile towards the sea and amid fears of a possible nuclear test as the Biden administration’s efforts to reach the formidable leader have been in vain.
Kamala Harris’ visit was publicly confirmed by South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo during a meeting with the U.S. vice president in Tokyo and was later confirmed by a U.S. official.
The U.S. Vice President is in the region to lead a U.S. presidential delegation to the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday.
The U.S. official said Kamala Harris’ visit will underscore the strength of the “alliance” between Seoul and Washington “in the face of any threats posed” by North Korea, the U.S. official said.
The official asked to remain anonymous as Kamala Harris’ trip has not yet been officially announced.
The official added that Kamala Harris would tour the DMZ, meet with service members, appear for an operational briefing from U.S. commanders, reflect on the collective sacrifice of American and South Korean soldiers, and reaffirm American support to South Korean security.
“Your visits to the DMZ and Seoul will be very symbolic demonstrations of your strong commitments to security and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Han said.
Many foreign dignitaries who schedule a trip to the region always scour the heavily fortified DMZ separating the two Koreas. Several former U.S. presidents and Biden himself, before he became president, have visited the DMZ. However, former president Donald Trump was the first to have met a North Korean leader there when he held a third meeting with Kim in June 2019 as part of his unsuccessful attempt to persuade Kim to give up on his nuclear agenda.
The DMZ, which is often described as the world’s last Cold War frontier, has acted as a buffer zone between the two Koreas under the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement signed in 1953, an agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command.
North Korea has consistently maintained its right to sovereignty and self-defence and has accused both the U.S. and South Korea of trying to jeopardise its self-defence agenda and pose a hostile threat to the Republic.
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