Seoul: South Korea and the United States conducted joint air drills on Tuesday, featuring US B-1B bombers over the Korean Peninsula. According to Yonhap News Agency, which cited Seoul's Defense Ministry, the exercise included South Korean F-35A and F-16 fighter jets, as well as US F-16s, to showcase the allies' readiness to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
According to Kuwait News Agency, The timing of the drills coincided with the 113th birth anniversary of North Korea's late state founder Kim Il-sung, a significant national holiday in North Korea. South Korea's Defense Ministry stated that these exercises aim to deter and respond to North Korean threats, emphasizing that South Korea and the US will continue to enhance combined exercises and strengthen their alliance. Although the ministry did not disclose the number of B-1B bombers involved, images from the drills depicted two US long-range heavy bombers flying alongside fighter jets.
This joint exercise represents the second occurrence of such drills this year, following similar activities on February 20. North Korea has often expressed dissatisfaction with the deployment of US strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, accusing the US of escalating tensions. Following the February drills, Pyongyang threatened to employ "strategic means" to counter perceived threats from the US.