US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Seoul on Wednesday (November 8) for a two-day visit, during which he will hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Chun and pay a visit to South Korean President Yin Xiyue. Faced with concerns about increasingly close military ties between North Korea and Russia, the United States and South Korea continue to strengthen cooperation.
Recently, the United States, South Korea, and Japan have all condemned North Korea's supply of weapons and military equipment to Russia. Washington and Seoul believe that the closer military relationship between North Korea and Russia is an effort by Pyongyang to ensure strategic military capabilities, and Russia is believed to be depleting its ammunition stockpile in the war with Ukraine.
Pyongyang and Moscow have denied allegations of arms trading, but their leaders promised to strengthen military cooperation during their meeting in the Russian Far East in September this year. Under the circumstance that the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has attracted the attention of the international community, it is believed that Antony Blinken's visit to South Korea will focus on discussing the response plan.
Recently, Pyongyang designated November 18th as "Missile Industry Day" to commemorate North Korea's successful test launch of the "Mars 17" new intercontinental ballistic missile last year. This missile, referred to by experts as the "monster missile," not only has the ability to carry multiple nuclear warheads, but also has the possibility of launching nuclear warheads anywhere in the United States. The South Korean military stated on Monday that it will remain vigilant against possible provocations from North Korea.
After North Korea failed to launch its spy satellite into space twice this year, it is expected to conduct its third test launch in the near future. Last week, South Korean intelligence agencies stated that North Korea has clearly received technical assistance from Russia and is in the final preparation stage for its third satellite launch.
South Korea, with the assistance of the United States, plans to launch its first domestically produced military reconnaissance satellite on November 30th using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenburg Air Force Base in California, USA.
From November 6th to 7th, the United States and South Korea jointly held the "South Korea US Space Forum" in Seoul to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the US South Korea alliance. Through comprehensive discussions on space diplomacy, security, exploration, and economic cooperation, they sought to strengthen space cooperation between the United States and South Korea.
In this extensive Asian trip, Antony Blinken first participated in the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) in Tokyo, held bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, and then visited South Korea and India, aiming to promote "support for a free and open Indo Pacific region". A US official said that despite facing other global challenges, the US still focused on the Indo Pacific region. Antony Blinken's visit demonstrated this "lasting" commitment.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin is also scheduled to visit South Korea this week, where he will meet with senior officials such as South Korean Defense Minister Shin Yuen seok to hold a security consultation meeting. This is Austin's ninth visit to the Indo Pacific region since taking office, with locations including India, South Korea, and Indonesia to strengthen his "firm commitment" to the Indo Pacific region.
(This article references a report from Reuters.)