Military Tensions Heat Up in Korea Ahead of VP Harris’s Visit

The United States and South Korea conducted war games and North Korea tested several missiles this week. The escalating tensions in Korea come just before Vice President Kamala Harris visits the dematerialized zone (DMZ). 

The aircraft USS Ronald Reagan arrived in South Korea for joint military drills. The Reagan is the first aircraft carrier in Korean waters since 2018. The port call is part of a joint agreement by Washington and Seoul to increase military ties. 

Pyongyang has loudly condemned the increasing ties between the US and South Korea. In anticipation of the joint naval maneuvers, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Sunday. Then on Wednesday, after the conclusion of the war games, Pyongyang fired two more short-range missiles. 

North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons tests in 2022 amid a shifting policy in Washington and Seoul. Under President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, both countries attempted to engage with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. The Trump/Moon diplomacy netted a series of de-escalation measures, including a multi-year hiatus of North Korean missile tests. 

The heightened military activity comes as VP Harris is set to visit South Korea. The Vice President is on a multi-nation Pacific tour. In Japan, Harris condemned Sunday’s missile tests as a threat to stability. North Korea’s “illicit weapons program…threatens regional stability and violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions,” she said. 

Harris also doubled down on the White House’s aggressive policy towards China. “We will continue to fly, sail and operate, undaunted and unafraid, wherever and whenever international law allows,” Harris said, referring to the Taiwan Strait. She vowed to strengthen ties with Taiwan.