Biden arrives in South Korea with worries growing over possible North Korean missile test

President Joe Biden arrived here Friday on a mission to reaffirm a key alliance at an uncertain moment in East Asia. Even as the war in Ukraine has preoccupied Washington -- and took up the first half of Biden's day before he departed for Asia -- provocations from North Korea have intensified and China continues flexing its economic and military might. Biden wants to show his top partners here he can focus both eastward and westward, and that the United States has resources to help uphold democracy and sovereignty around the world.

Air Force One touched down at Osan Air Base, an American military installation outside the capital Seoul, at 5:22 p.m. local time (4:22 a.m. ET) after a lengthy journey from Washington. Immediately after his arrival, Biden is planning to visit a Samsung semiconductor factory to emphasize the importance of strengthening American supply chains, which have been reliant on Chinese materials.

The stakes of Biden's trip have been ratcheted higher by the threat of a nuclear or missile test from North Korea. The prospect looms over Biden's stop in Seoul, where he was planning to tout economic partnership and security ties alongside the country's newly elected President.

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