On Sept 29, 2022, US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, the Republic of Korea. JUNG YEON-JE TOKYO US Vice President Kamala Harris was heading to Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone DMZ separating the two Koreas on Thursday, just hours after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea test-fired missiles.
Aides said the visit was intended to show the United States' commitment to the Republic of Korea's security.
The missile test is the second since Sunday and comes two days after ROK and US forces conducted a military drill in waters off ROK's east coast involving an aircraft carrier.
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Kim Jong-un, the leader of DPRK, has said it is developing nuclear weapons and missiles to defend against US threats.
Harris' visit to the DMZ is expected to follow a meeting with Yoon, and is expected to be the first by a senior Biden administration official.
Several former US presidents and Biden himself visited the DMZ before he became president, but former President Donald Trump was the first to meet a DPRK leader there when he held a third meeting with Kim Jong-un in 2019.
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The DMZ has existed since the 1950 -- 53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.