The US and South Korea have flown their bomber warplanes in a show of strength against North Korea’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme and threats.
South Korea’s defence ministry said that the US long-range B-1B bombers participated in the joint South Korea-US aerial drill aimed at strengthening the allies’ combined operational capability and demonstrate their deterrence capability against North Korea’s advancing nuclear programme.
The ministry said South Korea flew its F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and American F-16 fighter jets also took part in the training over the Korean Peninsula. South Korea and the US will continue to expand their joint military exercises to respond to North Korean nuclear threats, the ministry said.
The drills come on the day Pyongyang is celebrating a key anniversary of the 113th birthday of their state founder Kim Il Sung and just days after the North Korean leader’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong, who also serves as the country’s top diplomat, vowed to resist a US-led push to eliminate the North’s nuclear programme.
North Korea has often responded to the US aerial deployment of fighter jets with missile tests and powerful rhetoric of retaliation, including an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
It was the second time a US B-1B had participated in a drill with South Korea since president Donald Trump began his second term in January.
In February, North Korea’s defence ministry slammed the B-1B's earlier flyover as proof of intensifying US-led provocations since Mr Trump’s inauguration. It pledged to counter the strategic threat of the US with strategic means. Days later, North Korea test-fired cruise missiles in what it called an attempt to show its nuclear counterattack capability.
Mr Trump has repeatedly said he will reach out to Kim Jong Un to revive diplomacy. North Korea hasn’t directly responded to Mr Trump’s outreach.
Last Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong – Mr Kim’s sister and a senior official – derided the US and its Asian allies over what she called their “daydream” of denuclearising North Korea, insisting that her country will never give up its nuclear weapons program. Her statement came as a response to a recent meeting among the top diplomats of the United States, South Korea and Japan where they reaffirmed their commitment to push for North Korea's denuclearisation.
The Kim Il Sung birthday, called “the Day of Sun,” is one of the most important holidays in North Korea, where a state-sponsored cult of personality treats key members of the ruling Kim family like gods. On Tuesday, the country's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper issued an editorial urging the public to rally behind Kim Jong Un to achieve a national prosperity.
In recent days, North Korea has held seminars, performances and other events commemorating the founder's achievements.
