North Korea tests ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoul, strengthens Putin-Kim ties, Israel-Hamas truce talks

Seoul – North Korea on Monday test-fired a ballistic missile as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited South Korea, where he warned that Pyongyang was working closely with Russia on advanced space technology. Blinken also said that he believes that the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas will end war in Gazait may not happen until after President Biden's term, at least returning President Donald Trump.

Blinken visited Seoul as the investigators were trying to arrest Acting President Yoon Suk Yeolwho is now entrenched in his residence after being wrongly accused trying to enforce martial lawbut he refused to get involved in the domestic political turmoil that plagued the US alliance.

In a reminder of the same challenges that overwhelm Southern politics, North Korea on Monday he fired a ballistic missile into the sea while Blinken was holding meetings in Seoul, forcing him to rebuke Pyongyang and its ally Russia.

Both Blinken and his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul condemned the launch at a joint press conference, with Washington diplomats calling it “another violation of many UN Security Council resolutions.”

Blinken says Russia could give the North an “advancement” in space

The outgoing ambassador also focused on Russia, saying that Moscow is increasing space cooperation with Pyongyang.

“The DPRK is already receiving Russian military equipment and training. Now we have reason to believe that Moscow intends to share high-altitude space and satellite technology with Pyongyang,” he said at a news conference.

His warning echoed concerns first raised by officials more than a year agobefore North Korea began providing weapons and, later, even troops, to help Vladimir Putin's ongoing war effort in Ukraine.

Since then, the US and South Korea say Kim Jong Un has sent at least 10,000 North Korean soldiers to help strengthen Putin's forcesthey have been stretched thin after nearly three years of heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine and, more recently, in the Russian border region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces invaded late last year.

After a North Korean missile flew about 680 kilometers before crashing into the sea on Monday, Seoul said it had “heightened vigilance and vigilance” for further launches. Seoul was also “cooperating closely with the US and Japan” regarding the launch, the South's military added.

The US, South Korea emphasize the relationship between the changing leadership

The test comes two weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who in his last term sought to woo North Korea with a unique form of diplomacy.

Blinken reiterated Washington's “strong commitment” to the defense of South Korea and spoke with Deputy Prime Minister and Acting President Choi Sang-mok about how “the two sides will work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and trilateral cooperation with Japan,” the State Department said in a statement. said.

Until the brief imposition of martial law on December 3, Yoon had been a favorite of President Joe Biden for his US policies around the world. He impressed the United States by wanting to turn the page on decades of conflict with Japan, a US ally and home to thousands of US troops.

Yoon joined Biden and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida in 2023 for a historic three-way summit at the presidential retreat at Camp David that included a pledge to strengthen intelligence cooperation on North Korea. Choi's office said in a statement that South Korea remains committed to “the principles and agreements from the Camp David summit.”

The acting president “said that South Korea will continue to maintain its diplomatic and security policies based on the strong Korea-US alliance and trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the US and Japan.”

South Korea's continued opposition, which has soured Yoon's life in parliament and has been rising ever since the president took power, has historically taken a hard line in Japan.

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung – who is also facing disqualification in a court case – prefers to connect with North Korea more than hawkish Yoon.

The turmoil and lack of a clear leader in Asia's fourth-largest economy comes just as the US is in the midst of its own political transition.

While Mr. Biden is focused on expanding American alliances, Trump, who takes office on January 20, has been dismissive of what he sees as Washington's unwarranted commitment. Trump said during his last presidential election that if he had been in office he would have armed forces in South Korea to pay $10 billion a year for the US military presence, 10 times what it is contributing now.

But ironically, Trump developed a relationship with the last president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, who encouraged his efforts to work with North Korea.

Trump, who once threatened “fire and fury” against North Korea, went on to meet three times with leader Kim Jong Un and said they “love each other.”

Blinken says the Israel-Hamas deal may not happen under Biden

Blinken expressed confidence Monday that a Gaza ceasefire will come together, but perhaps after President Joe Biden leaves office on January 20. Blinken, who tried repeatedly and failed last year to cut a deal between Hamas and Israel, said the Biden administration would “work every minute of every day.” until the end of its time to receive a deal for the release of the captives.

“We really want to finish this in the next two weeks,” Blinken told reporters in Seoul. “If we don't get it finalized in the next two weeks, I'm sure it will be finalized at some point, hopefully soon. It's a plan that President Biden has put forward and almost the entire world supports.”

Trump has vowed more support for Israel and warned Hamas that there will be “hell to pay” if they do not release about 100 hostages believed to be held in Gaza more than a year after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas. Israeli officials believe that about two-thirds of the remaining captives are still alive.

A senior Hamas official said on Sunday the group was ready to release 34 hostages in the “first phase” of a potential deal with Israel, which it said had resumed indirect talks in Qatar.

Blinken said there had been “substantial” communication with Hamas about reaching an agreement, but it had not been finalized.

“We need Hamas to make the final decisions necessary to complete the deal and fundamentally change the situation of the hostages, get them out, to the people of Gaza, bring them relief, and the entire region, create an opportunity to actually move on to something better,” said Blinken.

Blinken has visited the Middle East 12 times since the massive October 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel, in which the group killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 others.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with immediate calm to the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which health officials in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory say have killed more than 45,000 people, destroyed all of the area's infrastructure and forced nearly all of its residents from their homes.