Seoul: North Korea fired artillery rockets during a DMZ visit - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. Seoul’s military reported that North Korea launched several artillery rockets about an hour before US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the border with South Korea. They also said similar rounds were fired minutes before South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung met Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said they “detected about 10 artillery rockets fired into the northern part of the West Sea,” Seoul’s name for the Yellow Sea, with launches around 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on different days. "Details of the projectiles are currently being closely analyzed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities," the JCS added. Hegseth visited the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone on Monday, becoming the first US defense chief in eight years to do so. He toured Panmunjom, the truce village where troops from both sides stand face-to-face, after stopping at an observation post overlooking the DMZ. According to Seoul’s defense ministry, Hegseth and his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back reaffirmed a strong joint defense posture and close US–South Korea cooperation. At a joint news conference, Hegseth warned of a “dangerous security environment,” and both ministers said they would stay clear-eyed about the threats. He also said South Korea’s planned boost in defense spending would speed up its ability to lead conventional deterrence and defense against the North. President Lee announced an 8.2 percent rise in next year’s defense budget to 66.3 trillion won. Hegseth’s visit came after US President Donald Trump’s outreach to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an Asia tour, which so far has had no public response from Pyongyang; Trump has said he’d be willing to meet Kim again. On the sidelines of an Asian summit, President Lee asked Xi to help Seoul resume dialogue with North Korea, stressing the need for regional stability and noting recent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/