The punch visits of the speaker of the American House of Representatives continue. After her highly publicized visit to Taiwan, Nancy Pelosi is due to travel to the ultra-fortified border that separates South Korea from its northern neighbor on Thursday, a representative of the authorities said.
Arriving in Seoul on Wednesday evening, she is due to visit the “demilitarized zone” (DMZ), said a South Korean official. She would thus be the highest American official to visit the border village of Panmunjom since Donald Trump. In 2019, the then US president met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un there.
deterrence exercise
During a meeting with the Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, Kim Jin-pyo, Nancy Pelosi discussed North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs. They “expressed their concerns about the growing threats posed by North Korea”, according to a joint statement after their meeting.
North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons tests this year. The two parliamentarians called for “strong and widespread deterrence against North Korea”, and said they would support their leaders’ efforts to get Pyongyang to denuclearize.
A critical reception
Nancy Pelosi is due to speak by phone with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on vacation this week, officials say. Local media criticized Yoon Suk-yeol’s attitude towards Nancy Pelosi, pointing out that he will not meet her in person and that her administration has not sent a delegation to welcome her to the airport.
The president took office in May and has pledged to strengthen ties with the United States, including stepping up joint military maneuvers that have drawn the ire of Pyongyang. These exercises, suspended due in particular to the Covid-19 pandemic, will begin at the end of the month.
A “brazen interference”
At a brief press conference in Seoul, where she did not answer any questions, Nancy Pelosi hailed the “special” relationship between Seoul and Washington – but did not discuss her visit to Taipei. The trip of Nancy Pelosi, the highest elected American official to go, for 25 years, to this territory claimed by China, has triggered the fury of Beijing.
Beijing began Thursday the largest military maneuvers in its history around Taiwan. China is North Korea’s longtime ally and main economic backer. On Wednesday, Pyongyang called the visit “brazen interference” in China’s internal affairs and assured Beijing of its “full support”.