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South Korea, U.S. stage joint air drills involving B-1B bomber

Published: 20 Feb. 2025, 15:02

South Korea and the United States conduct joint air drills on Feb. 20. [MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE]

South Korea and the United States on Thursday held combined air drills, involving at least one B-1B bomber, the South's Defense Ministry said, in a show of force against North Korean military threats.

South Korean F-35A and F-15K fighter jets and U.S. F-16 fighters also took part in the combined drills, which marked the first such exercise between the allies this year.

"The training was conducted to display the U.S. extended deterrence capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and bolster interoperability of South Korea-U.S. combined forces," the ministry said in a release.

Under close coordination, the allies will seek to strengthen their cooperation by continuously expanding combined drills to deter and counter North Korean threats, it added.

The latest exercise marked the first combined air drills between the allies, involving the B-1B bomber, following U.S. President Donald Trump's return to the White House last month.

The two countries earlier held trilateral air drills with Japan on Jan. 15, involving two B-1B bombers in addition to South Korean F-15K and Japanese F-2 fighter jets.

Two days later, North Korea warned of taking action "more intensively" to exercise its right to self-defense, denouncing the three countries for conducting the joint exercise.

North Korea has been dialing up tensions on the Korean Peninsula this year, with multiple missile launches into waters off its coasts, including what it called sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles.

Yonhap