The United States flew a hypersonic bomber over ally South Korea as part of a massive combined air exercise involving hundreds of warplanes in a show of force aimed at intimidating North Korea over its barrage of ballistic missile tests this week. At least one B-1B bomber took part in the final day of a joint US-South Korean air force exercise that ended Saturday, South Korea’s defense ministry said. South Korea’s military also said North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles into the sea. The Vigilant Storm exercise – involving around 240 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighter jets from both countries – has drawn an angry reaction from North Korea. The North this week fired dozens of missiles into the sea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that prompted evacuation warnings in northern Japan and flew its own warplanes into its territory. North Korea’s foreign ministry late on Friday described the military actions as an appropriate response to Vigilant Storm, which it called a display of “hysteria of military confrontation” by the US. Pyongyang said North Korea would respond with the “sternest response” to any attempts by “hostile forces” to violate its sovereignty or security interests.
Large-scale training continued
B-1B airlifts have been a familiar show of force during previous periods of tension with North Korea. The US has kept four of the bombers in Guam since late October, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. South Korea has asked the United States to step up the development of “strategic assets,” which include aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and long-range bombers such as the B-1B. After talks with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin in Washington on Thursday, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Yong-sup said the US had agreed to use “US strategic means at the level equivalent to steady development through increased frequency and of the intensity of the deployment of strategic assets in and around the Korean Peninsula.’ The planes were last seen in the region in 2017 during another provocative march to North Korean weapons displays. But the airlifts have stalled in recent years as the US and South Korea halted large-scale exercises to support the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts with North Korea and due to COVID-19. The allies resumed large-scale training this year as North Korea accelerated its weapons tests at a record pace. They are taking advantage of the rift in the UN Security Council, which has deepened due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and North Korea has used this window to accelerate its weapons development. North Korea hates such close-range displays of American military might. The North continued to describe the B-1B as a “nuclear strategic bomber,” although the plane was converted to conventional weapons in the mid-1990s. Vigilant Storm was originally scheduled to end on Friday, but the allies decided to extend the training until Saturday in response to a series of North Korean ballistic launches on Thursday, including an ICBM that triggered evacuation alerts and halted trains in northern Japan. Thursday’s launches came after the North fired more than 20 missiles on Wednesday, the most it had fired in a single day. Those launches came after North Korean senior military official Park Yong-chon issued a veiled threat of nuclear conflict with the United States and South Korea over their joint drills, which the North says are rehearsals for a possible invasion.
“unstable atmosphere”
South Korea also on Friday scrambled about 80 military aircraft after monitoring about 180 flights by North Korean warplanes inside North Korean territory. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean warplanes were spotted in various areas inland and along the country’s east and west coasts, but did not come very close to the Korean border. The South Korean military detected about 180 flight tracks from 1-5 p.m., but it was not immediately clear how many North Korean planes were involved and whether some may have flown more than once. In a statement on Friday attributed to an unidentified spokesman, North Korea’s foreign ministry said the US and South Korea had created a seriously “unstable atmosphere” in the region with their military exercises. Pyongyang has accused Washington of mobilizing its allies in a campaign using sanctions and military threats to pressure North Korea to unilaterally disarm. “Continued provocation is sure to be followed by continued counter-reaction,” the statement said. South Korean officials say there are signs that North Korea in the coming weeks could detonate its first nuclear test device since 2017. Analysts say North Korea is trying to force the US to accept it as a nuclear power and is seeking to negotiate economic and security concessions from a position of strength.
