House Speaker Nancy Pelosi journeyed to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean Peninsula Thursday, her latest stop in a global hotspot days after visiting Taiwan over the objections of China. 

Pelosi and the five other Democratic lawmakers in her delegation were pictured meeting with US military forces stationed in South Korea near the Joint Security Area visitor center, located within the DMZ and a venue for numerous talks between North and South Korea over the years. 

US presidents and other top officials have often traveled to the JSA and other border areas to reaffirm their security commitment to South Korea.

“It was a special honor to engage with General [Paul] LaCamera and other @USForcesKorea servicemembers on the ground at the DMZ/JSA and Osan Air Base,” Pelosi tweeted following the visit.

“We conveyed the gratitude of the Congress and the Country for the patriotic service of our servicemembers, who stand as sentinels of Democracy on the Korean Peninsula.”

The trip to the heavily armed border region — which was first reported by South Korean media — made Pelosi the highest-ranking US elected official to visit the DMZ since President Donald Trump shook hands with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un there in 2019.  

The 155-mile-long, 2.5-mile-wide zone has been in place since an armistice was signed during the Korean War in 1953. 

There was no immediate response from North Korea, which had already attacked Pelosi in a statement criticizing her visit to Taiwan earlier this week, a trip that triggered the Chinese government to launch military exercises.

Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry said her visit demonstrated “impudent interference of the US in internal affairs of other countries.” 

Beijing warned Tuesday that Pelosi arriving in Taiwan had “a severe impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” 

The same day, Beijing announced it would be holding its largest military drills in the region since 1995. 

While in South Korea, Pelosi met National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo and other senior members of the nation’s parliament to discuss regional security, economic and climate issues.

“The relationship that began from urgency and security, many years ago, has become the warmest of friendships,” Pelosi said in a joint press conference with Kim Thursday.

“So we want to advance security, economy and governance in an interparliamentary way.  Our president [Biden], who you acknowledged, was here in Korea in May, and he has had a lot of analysis about the good Asian Pacific initiative, the IPEF – Asian Pacific economic framework,” she added.

“We want to be able to work together for all of the purposes I mentioned, but to do so listening to our friends in South Korea, who have come here today.”

The speaker also chatted by phone with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was on vacation during her visit.

Pelosi later revealed that each member of the Congressional delegation “engaged in conversation with the President, highlighting areas of continued cooperation to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.” 

From South Korea, Pelosi flew to Yokota Air Base in Fussa outside Tokyo, where she was welcomed by US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.

With Post wires