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By Micah McCartney
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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung arrived in Washington on Monday for his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, following several days of heightened tensions with North Korea.
Why It Matters
Inter-Korean ties were already brittle. Last year, Pyongyang labeled the South a "hostile state," with Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un officially abandoning the long-stated goal of eventual reunification. Kim's regime has also expanded its ballistic-missile and nuclear programs, citing "provocations" from United States–South Korean drills, and deployed troops to join Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine.
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Newsweek reached out to the White House and the South Korean embassy in Washington, D.C., via email for comment.
Warning Shots
North Korea issued a scathing statement Saturday criticizing South Korea for firing more than 10 machine-gun warning shots on Tuesday as North Korean troops worked on a barrier near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), the de facto border.
The shots were fired after about 30 North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL and ignored several loudspeaker warnings, the U.S.-led United Nations Command told Yonhap News Agency. The UNC acknowledged that North Korea had notified it in advance about the planned construction activities.
"We remain ready to engage KPA [Korean People's Army] counterparts on this and other potential issue areas related to our standing agreements," the statement said.
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Interceptor Missile Test
Kim oversaw the testing of two "improved" types of air-defense missiles on Saturday, North Korean state media reported. The report said the missiles, built with domestic "special technology," can quickly intercept incoming cruise missiles and drones.
Lee's Tokyo Visit
North Korean state media on Sunday issued another broadside, this time targeting Lee's summit a day earlier with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo.
The trip was notable for breaking precedent: Lee met the Japanese leader before visiting his U.S. counterpart, despite Seoul's defense treaty with Washington. The move was widely seen as a bid to stabilize South Korea's often frosty ties with Japan as the neighbors, both covered by Washington's nuclear umbrella, tighten security cooperation with the U.S. with an eye toward tensions with Pyongyang and Beijing.
The article accused Lee of "using peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region as a bargaining chip, acting as a scout for realizing the aggressive U.S.–Japan–ROK triangular military cooperation in order to be within his American master's consideration."
Reaper
Last month, the United States for the first time sent an MQ-9 Reaper to the South Korean Air Force's Gwangju Air Base, about 167 miles south of Seoul, according to a release on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
The MQ-9, a long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft designed for both reconnaissance and strike missions, will "advance mission readiness now and in the future," the 163d Attack Wing, which deployed the unmanned aerial vehicle, said in a Facebook post.
What Happens Next
Lee has said North Korea would be among the issues he brings up during his discussions with Trump.
Lee, a liberal from the Democratic Party who took office in June, has called for a less "confrontational" approach than his hardline predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.
Still, Lee says the U.S. alliance, under which 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea, should remain focused on North Korean threats, pushing back calls in Washington to broaden its scope to China.
U.S. and South Korean forces are holding the first phase of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises through August 28.
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