Kim Jong-Un Prioritizes Missile Launch Over COVID-19 Crisis As Joe Biden Gears For South Korea Visit

As COVID-19 rapidly sweeps through North Korea, with cases inching closer to crossing the 2 million mark, the country's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un has other priorities.

What Happened: According to a Reuters report, North Korea is preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's first official trip to South Korea.

On a condition of anonymity, a U.S. official told the news outlet that the latest intelligence showed North Korea could carry out an ICBM test as soon as Thursday or Friday.

South Korean defense ministry spokesperson said South Korean, and U.S. intelligence authorities are monitoring such activities and closely coordinating, and its military is also maintaining a firm readiness posture.

See Also: North Korea's Kim Jong-Un Deploys Army To Battle COVID-19

Why It Matters: U.S. President Biden will be visiting South Korea on Friday to hold bilateral talks with his South Korean counterpart — President Yoon Suk-yeol — before visiting Japan. The White House officials announced last week that Biden was considering a trip to the Demilitarized Zone on the border with North Korea.

The official trip will be Biden's first to the region as president and the first summit with the South Korean president, who took office on May 10.

Last week, the Biden administration said it currently has no plans to share COVID-19 vaccines with North Korea. However, it supported providing aid to North Korea.

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