During his remarks Thursday from the Korean Demilitarized Zone, Vice President Harris misrepresented President Barack Obama's words by saying that the United States has an "alliance with North Korea".
In his remarks after touring the DMZ, Vice President Harris said:
"The United States has a very significant relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea," which he meant to refer to South Korea when he opened the comments with a reference to the North Korean alliance. It is a lasting and strong alliance ".
Vice President Harris praised the United States' "firm" commitment to defend South Korea despite threats from North Korea, despite not correcting himself. In a meeting Thursday, Vice President Harris told South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeo that the two countries were aligned on this issue.
Vice President Harris stressed that the United States and the Republic of Korea share a common goal: a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. In yesterday's speech, President Joe Biden asked if the deceased representative Jackie Walorski, Indian republican, was also present.
As Harris prepared to return to the United States after his four-day trip to Asia, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, marking the third launch this week. North Korea has conducted such tests before, according to President Barack Obama's press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, whose trip to Asia this week shows "our solid commitment" to the security of Japan and South Korea.