Pelosi visited the South Korean capital Seoul last week, after being in Taiwan. While visiting Seoul, she also visited the zone. It was the first visit by a high-ranking American politician since former President Donald Trump went there in 2019 to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
Prior to the visit to the DMZ, Pelosi had met her South Korean counterpart Kim Jin-pyo and spoke out about the “serious situation” surrounding the North Korean nuclear program. Kim and Pelosi jointly called for “a strong and comprehensive deterrence against North Korea.” According to North Korea, Pelosi added “fuel to the fire” with her statements and the visit to the zone.
Earlier in the week, Pelosi drew the ire of the Chinese for visiting Taiwan. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and sees Pelosi’s visit as a provocation. Since the visit, China has been holding large-scale military exercises near Taiwan, which are expected to continue this weekend.