North Korea fires suspected mid-range missile as Blinken visits Seoul

SEOUL — North Korea fired what appeared to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile out to sea on Monday (Jan 6), coinciding with a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Seoul during a period of political turmoil in South Korea.

South Korea's military said the missile was launched eastward at around noon (0300 GMT) shortly after Blinken met with South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok.

In that meeting, Blinken emphasised Washington's "unwavering" security commitment to South Korea and called for a strong joint defence posture to prepare for possible North Korea provocations, according to an official readout.

Choi is standing in for impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol whose Dec 3 declaration of martial law stunned the country and led to his suspension from duties on Dec 14.

Monday's launch was Pyongyang's first since Nov 5 when it fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast.

It was not immediately clear what type of missile was fired but North Korea's IRBM tests last year featured a new solid-fuel design and carried what Pyongyang said was a hypersonic glide vehicle, a warhead designed to be able to manoeuvre and evade missile defences.

The North has said it is working to make its missiles of all ranges solid fuel. Solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fuelled immediately ahead of launch, are often easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquid-fuel weapons.

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