The third time may have been a charm as North Korea said it had successfully placed its first military spy satellite into orbit after two previous failures, on the same day a U.S. carrier strike group docked in South Korea, two developments that underscored evolving tensions in Northeast Asia.
Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and other nations on Tuesday warned North Korea over its nuclear ambitions and threats, vowing an unspecified collective response to any war-like aggression by the North toward its rival.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed the purported illicit arms deal between North Korea and Russia, saying he'll emphasize its far-reaching security implications and discuss international response during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco this week.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has expressed an 'Ironclad" U.S. military commitment to defend South Korea and offered fresh assurances of Washington's commitment to beef up its deterrence program to shield its ally from the threat of an increasingly dangerous North Korea.