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| US Returned to Deploy B-1B Bombers to South Korea |
Washington - The United States (US) B-1B Lancer strategic bomber has been redeployed to the Korean Peninsula to participate in joint US-South Korean exercises. The presence of the advanced bomber was announced by the Seoul military on Saturday (19/11/2022), a day after North Korea (North Korea) tested its newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
"South Korea and the US conducted joint air drills today with an American Air Force B-1B strategic bomber redeploying on the Korean Peninsula," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement. /2022).
The South Korean military stated that the US supersonic bomber flew over South Korea's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and was escorted by South Korean F-35A stealth fighter jets and American F-16 fighter jets. "Through this exercise, we are once again demonstrating the combined military capacity of the South Korea-US alliance and Washington's commitment to protecting the Korean Peninsula and providing broader deterrence," JCS said.
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Earlier this month, Yonhap news agency reported that the Pentagon would redeploy B-1B bombers to South Korea for the first time since 2017. The move followed Seoul's request to Washington to increase the deployment of "strategic assets" to the Korean Peninsula amid barrage of missile launches by Korea. North this time of year.
On Friday, the two countries' militaries conducted air drills over the East Sea in response to what JCS called "North Korea's ICBM provocation". North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country's latest ICBM test would reaffirm the Korean government's "firm will" North to avenge its enemies' "mad aggression and war games trying to destroy the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula."
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The ICBM test came less than 24 hours after the launch of a short-range ballistic missile by North Korean forces. Pyongyang has repeatedly condemned the military drills of South Korea and its allies, calling them preparations for invasion, and insisting its missile launches were a legitimate response to provocations from the US and its partners in the region. Washington also called North Korea's actions provocative and demanded it stop all weapons tests.