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US long-range bomber joins air drill with South Korea, Japan

November 3, 2024

The United States conducted drills with South Korea and Japan, flying a B-1B bomber near the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's recent intercontinental ballistic missile test.

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A US Air Force B-1B Bomber flies during a ceremony marking the 76th Armed Forces Day held at Seoul Air Base
It was the fourth time this year the nuclear bomber was deployed to the Korean peninsulaImage: Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/picture alliance

South Korea, Japan, and the United States on Sunday conducted a joint air drill in response to North Korea's recent test-firing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the South Korean military said.

"The exercise demonstrates the commitment of the ROK-US alliance to integrated extended deterrence in response to the advancing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea," said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement.

The drill involved the US B-1B nuclear bomber, as well as South Korea's F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, and Japan's F-2 jets, which escorted the US strategic bomber to a designated location south of the Korean Peninsula, "demonstrating an overwhelming capability to swiftly and accurately strike simulated targets," Seoul's military added.

It was the fourth time this year that the nuclear bomber has been used on the Korean Peninsula. It was also the second time for a trilateral air exercise aimed at countering Pyongyang's military threats, the statement said.

North Korea tests advanced ballistic missile

The drill took place three days after Pyongyang launched the Hwasong-19, one of its most powerful and advanced solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which experts say could reach targets in the continental United States.

According to Pyongyang and the militaries in Seoul and Tokyo, which tracked it in real time, the missile flew higher and stayed airborne longer than any previous missile North Korea has fired.

North Korea–South Korea relations reach new low

The official Korean Central News Agency hailed it as "the world's strongest strategic missile." Leader Kim Jong Un "expressed great satisfaction" at the successful launch, calling it "an appropriate military action" to address external security threats from its rivals.

The ICBM test was seen as an attempt to grab American attention ahead of this week's US presidential election amid growing international condemnation of Pyongyang's alleged deployment of thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.

dh/lo (AP, AFP)