The U.S. secretary of state aimed to show that his country stood by South Korea as it grapples with a political crisis, and as Donald J. Trump returns to power.

There have been tensions in the Pacific region recently, with Russia allegedly providing North Korea with military equipment and training.View on euronews

Many foreign media analyses suggest that the visit aims to solidify President Joe Biden's political legacy in terms of the US' "Indo-Pacific Strategy" and strengthen relations with Asian allies such as South Korea and Japan.

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile Monday, Japan’s coast guard said, ratcheting up tensions in the region as political turmoil continues in neighboring South Korea.

Pyongyang's first test-fire of 2025 came as Blinken, America's top diplomat, met with South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok. Choi assumed the interim role after the South Korean Parliament voted to impeach a second president in two weeks.

North Korea said Tuesday it successfully test-fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile, claiming the weapon would "reliably contain any rivals in the Pacific region."

The launch event came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks with South Korean allies over the North Korean nuclear threat and other issues.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to South Korea, Japan and France from Jan. 4-9, the State Department said on Friday, amid a political crisis in Seoul.

The government has little to show for the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on pro-natal policies over nearly two decades.

Washington, a return to normalcy would come as a relief regardless of who’s in charge in Seoul. The current crisis has been a nightmare from which the Americans would hope to awaken and discover