South Korea: US Vice President Kamala Harris to visit DMZ

US Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the Korean Peninsula on Thursday (September 29) during her trip to South Korea, the White House announced on Tuesday (September 27).

This visit underlines "the commitment of the United States in the face of any threat" posed by North Korea, said this official of the White House.

The vice president will honor "

" of tens of thousands of American and Korean soldiers who fought together in the Korean War, which ended in a ceasefire that divided the peninsula in 1953, said he added.

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The trip to the DMZ could anger North Korea, which called US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "

" after her visit to the DMZ. early August.

Pyongyang also warned on Monday that South Korea and the United States risk starting a war after the two allies began their first combined naval drills in five years near the peninsula on Monday.

Kamal Harris arrived in Japan on Monday, where she spoke with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ahead of Shinzo Abe's funeral on Tuesday in the presence of hundreds of other foreign dignitaries.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also met with Kamal Harris in Tokyo on Tuesday.

He said his visit to the DMZ would provide "

."

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North Korea has been engaged in a record series of weapons tests for several months, while negotiations with the international community on its nuclear and missile program have stalled.

Pyongyang notably launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) since 2017 in May and adopted a new doctrine in early September proclaiming that the country would never give up atomic weapons.

South Korean and American officials have also been warning for months that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to conduct another nuclear test.