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| US Flying B-52 Bombers and F-22 Stealth Fighter After Threat Kim Jong-un's Brother's |
Washington - The United States (US) flew nuclear-capable bombers and advanced stealth jets in the latest show of force against North Korea (North Korea), Tuesday (20/12/2022). This came hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, threatened to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.
"The deployment of US B-52 bombers and F-22 stealth fighter jets for joint exercises with South Korean warplanes is part of the agreement to protect South Korea by all available means, including nuclear," the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement. from AP.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said the exercise, which also included South Korean F-35 and F-15 fighter jets, took place in waters southwest of Jeju island. "US F-22 jets are deployed in South Korea for the first time in four years and will stay all week for training with South Korean forces," he said.
The drills were held after North Korea claimed to have launched its first military spy satellite. Previously, the reclusive nation has been testing a solid-fuel engine for use on a more mobile intercontinental ballistic missile in recent days.
Previously, Kim Yo-jong, ridiculed outside judgments that cast doubt on North Korea's development of spy satellites and long-range missiles. North Korea said the rocket it launched on Sunday was a test of the system for its first military reconnaissance satellite and released two low-resolution photos of South Korean cities seen from space.
Some civilian experts in South Korea and elsewhere said the photos were too grainy for surveillance purposes and the launch was likely to cover up North Korean missile technology. South Korea's military maintains reports that North Korea fired two medium-range ballistic missiles.
Kim Yo-jong said the test satellite carried a commercial camera because there was no reason to use an expensive high-resolution camera for a single shot test. He said North Korea was using two old missiles as space launch vehicles.
The spy satellite is one of several high-tech weapons systems Kim Jong-un has promised to acquire to better address what he calls US hostilities. Other weapons Jong-un wants to build are multi-warhead missiles, long-range solid-fuel missiles, underwater-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-powered submarines and hypersonic missiles.
Some experts say North Korea will eventually use its modern weapons systems and enlarged nuclear arsenal to pressure the US to win sanctions relief and other concessions.
Yo-jong dismissed the South Korean government's assessment that North Korea still has major technological hurdles remaining to overcome for a functioning ICBM that can reach the US mainland such as the ability to protect its warhead from harsh conditions upon re-entry. he questioned how North Korea was able to receive data from the warheads until they landed in a targeted area of the ocean in previous launches if the country really lacked reentry technology. "I think it's better for them to stop talking nonsense, be careful and think twice," he said.
All of North Korea's ICBM tests have been carried out at steep angles to avoid neighboring countries. Some experts say without a standard ICBM launch trajectory, North Korea's weapons reliability cannot be guaranteed. Addressing those doubts, Kim Yo-jong suggested North Korea might fire the ICBM on a normal trajectory, a launch that could be considered a much bigger provocation to the US since the weapon would be flying towards the Pacific Ocean. “I can clear up their doubts about it. They will immediately recognize it if we launch the ICBM by shooting directly from the right angle," he concluded.