 "North Korea fires artillery rockets hours before US defence chief’s border visit, South Korea says")
North Korea launched several artillery rockets just an hour before US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at the inter-Korean border, Seoul’s military confirmed on Tuesday. According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Pyongyang had also fired similar projectiles minutes before South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week.
The JCS reported detecting about ten artillery rockets launched into the northern part of the West Sea, Seoul’s term for the Yellow Sea. The firings occurred at around 3:00 pm (0600 GMT) on Saturday and 4:00 pm (0700 GMT) on Monday. “Details of the projectiles are currently being closely analysed by South Korean and US intelligence authorities,” the JCS stated.
Hegseth, who became the first Pentagon chief in eight years to visit the border, toured Panmunjom, the symbolic truce village where soldiers from both Koreas face each other, following a stop at Observation Post Ouellette overlooking the Demilitarised Zone. During his visit, he and South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back reaffirmed their nations’ strong defence partnership and commitment to maintaining close cooperation, the defence ministry said.
Diplomatic moves amid rising tensions
Hegseth’s trip followed US President Donald Trump’s Asia tour last week, during which Trump extended overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though Pyongyang issued no public response. Trump has since indicated that he remains open to a future meeting with Kim.
On Saturday, President Lee held talks with Xi on the sidelines of an Asian economic summit, urging China to help Seoul resume dialogue with Pyongyang. Lee highlighted the importance of regional stability and noted recent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, including Kim’s attendance at a major military parade in Beijing in September.
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