North Korea fires ballistic missile hours after US VP Harris visits South

North Korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile, Seoul’s military says, in what was Pyongyang’s third launch in less than a week, just hours after US Vice President Kamala Harris left South Korea.

“North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile into East Sea,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says in a statement, referring to the waters more commonly known as the Sea of Japan.

Japan’s coast guard also confirms a possible ballistic missile launch from North Korea, citing information from Tokyo’s defense ministry.

While in South Korea, Harris toured the country’s heavily fortified border with the nuclear-armed North, part of a trip aimed at strengthening the security alliance with Seoul.

Speaking at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Harris said the US commitment to South Korea’s defense was “ironclad,” adding that the allies were “aligned” in their response to the growing threat posed by the North’s weapons programs.