US VP Harris lands in South Korea

US Vice President Kamala Harris was in South Korea to tour the heavily fortified border with the nuclear-armed North, on a trip aimed at strengthening the security alliance with Seoul.

North Korea conducted two banned ballistic missile launches in the days before Harris's arrival, part of a record-breaking streak of weapons tests this year.

Her trip to the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is likely to infuriate Pyongyang, which branded United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the "worst destroyer of international peace" when she visited the border in August.

Harris accused North Korea of threatening regional stability with fresh missile launches, denouncing the country's "illicit weapons program".

In Seoul, she met South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May.

The pair discussed the countries' long-standing security alliance, their growing economic and technology partnership, and a range of other regional and global issues, her office said.

Seoul is also likely to raise its concerns over a new law signed by US President Joe Biden that removes subsidies for electric cars built outside of America, impacting Korean automakers like Hyundai and Kia.

Harris, America's first female vice president, will also meet with what the White House called "groundbreaking women leaders" of South Korea to discuss gender equality issues.

Yoon, who has pledged to abolish Seoul's Ministry of Gender Equality, has faced domestic criticism for a lack of women in his cabinet.