North Korea fires ballistic missiles during Blinken's visit to South Korea

North Korea conducted multiple short-range ballistic missile launches towards its eastern waters on March 18, according to neighboring countries. This marks North Korea's first known missile testing activity in approximately a month. The United States and South Korea had recently concluded one of their annual joint military exercises, which lasted for 11 days and aimed to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. There is no official confirmation from North Korea regarding the launch. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently attending the third Summit for Democracy and will also meet with his South Korean counterpart on the sidelines.