Tag: Kamala Harris

Here is an embarrassing gaffe by the U.S. Vice President:

A gaffe by US Vice-President Kamala Harris momentarily turned US policy on its head on Thursday when she declared the “important” alliance with communist North Korea – instead of South Korea, where she was speaking.

“So, the United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea. And it is an alliance that is strong and enduring,” Ms Harris said on Thursday at the start of her speech in the Demilitarised Zone, or DMZ, where she visited at the end of a tour to Japan and South Korea.

Apparently not noticing her misstep, Ms Harris went on to deliver the rest of the speech, which provided a robust reaffirmation of Washington’s alliance with Seoul in the face of nuclear-armed North Korea.

The Straits Times

You can read more at the link, but she wouldn’t be the first person I have heard before mistake South Korea for North Korea.

It will be interesting to see if the Biden administration tries to make any changes to the IRA to address Korean concerns:

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris promised President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday that the United States will look for solutions to South Korea’s concerns about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as the law is implemented, the presidential office said.

Harris conveyed the position after Yoon reiterated South Korea’s concerns that the law will hurt Korean carmakers by giving tax credits only to electric vehicles assembled in North America, according to deputy presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myoung.

“President Yoon delivered our concerns about the U.S. IRA, saying he hopes the two countries will closely cooperate to produce a mutually satisfying agreement in the spirit of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement,” Lee said during a press briefing.

“In response, Vice President Harris said not only she, but also President Biden, are well aware of South Korea’s concerns and will look into it carefully in order to find ways to resolve South Korea’s concerns in the process of the law’s implementation,” he said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

I guess the Vice President was trying to keep this secret in order to not give the North Koreans time to plan a provocation during her visit:

In meeting after meeting with Asian leaders Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized the U.S. commitment to regional security and the White House disclosed that she would visit the Demilitarized Zone dividing the rival Koreas.

An official said Harris would tour the border area between South and North Korea on Thursday, at the end of her trip to Asia. The visit comes amid persistent concerns about North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.

North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile shortly before Harris left Washington, an apparent response to joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea that include the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the DMZ in August, and then-President Donald Trump went in 2019 when he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. President Joe Biden did not go when he was in South Korea earlier this year.

Harris’ plan, which had been kept under wraps by her team, was unexpectedly revealed during a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Tuesday. A White House official rushed to confirm details of her trip afterward.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.