North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Monday, the military said in Seoul, where US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with senior officials and attend a democracy summit, AFP and Reuters reported.

“North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea,” also known as the Sea of ​​Japan, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, without giving further details about the launch.

The alleged ballistic missile launch is Pyongyang’s second such launch of 2024, following the January 14 launch of a missile equipped with a hypersonic warhead.

A few days ago, Seoul and Washington completed the annual large-scale Freedom Shield military exercises, which included intercepting missiles and airstrikes. The number of troops participating has doubled from 2023.

North Korea has condemned joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, which it sees as a rehearsal for an invasion.

Anthony Blinken arrived in South Korea on Sunday afternoon to participate in the third Summit for Democracy, an initiative of United States President Joe Biden, which Seoul is hosting from Monday to Wednesday.

The US secretary of state is also due to meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul to discuss ways to strengthen the alliance between Washington and Seoul as the two countries seek to improve their “extended containment” policy towards Pyongyang.

(Agerpress)