US flies bombers over South as N. Korea fires more missiles

North Korea added to its recent barrage of weapons demonstrations by firing four ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday. The United States sent two supersonic bombers into Korean airspace to counter the missile launch.

The US Army says the four missiles launched from the western coastal area around noon flew an estimated 150 km (93 miles) into South Korean territory and landed in the Sea of Japan.

North Korea fired a number of missiles on Friday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, that triggered evacuation alerts in northern Japan, and flew large numbers of warplanes inside its territory in an angry reaction to a massive combined aerial exercise between the United States and South Korea.

South Korea’s military said two B-1B bombers have been training with the United States since December.

During the “Vigilant Storm” joint air force drill that wraps up Saturday, two F-16 fighter jets and four South Korean F-35 fighter jets carried out

It was the first time since December 2017 that the U.S. bombers deployed to the Korean Peninsula.

In total, around 240 war planes were used in the drills. These included advanced F-35 fighter jets from both countries.

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that its military actions were an appropriate response to the U.S. military exercises on their territory. It said that North Korea will respond with the toughest counteractions to any attempts by “hostile forces” to infringe on their sovereignty and security interests.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the B-1B bombers’ participation in the joint drills showed that the United States and South Korea are ready to “sternly respond” to any North Korean provocations and demonstrate their combined strength.

North Korea is a country that will defend its ally with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.

1B-1B flyovers had been a familiar show of force during past periods of tensions with North Korea, including the North’s provocative run in nuclear and long-range missile tests in 2017.

But the flyovers had been halted in recent years as the United States and South Korea stopped their large-scale exercises to support the former Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts with North Korea, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The allies continued their large scale training this year. North Korea upped its weapons testing by a record pace. The U.S.

It is the United Nations that has the authority to halt all military activities between Russia and Ukraine.

North Korea has no love for displays of American military might so close up.

The North has continued to describe the B-1B as a “nuclear strategic bomber,” even though the plane is now fitted with conventional weaponry.

Vigilant Storm was initially scheduled to end on Friday, but the allies decided to extend the training to 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.

After Wednesday’s launch, Thursday’s launches came after the North fired more than 20 missiles on Wednesday, the most in a single day.

The launch came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a veiled threat of a nuclear war with the United States and South Korea over their joint military exercises, which the North said were rehearsals for an invasion.

South Korea also on Friday scrambled about 80 military aircraft after tracking about 180 flights by North Korean warplanes inside North Korean territory.

Kim Jong-Un said that North Korea’s warplanes had been spotted inland and along its eastern and western coasts, but were not particularly close to the borders.

The South Korean military spotted more than 180 flight trails from 1 p.m. The number of flights and the routes that were flown are being investigated. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will closely monitor the issue and continue to ensure residents’ safety.

In a statement attributed to an unidentified spokesperson, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the United States and South Korea have created a dangerously “unstable atmosphere” in the region by conducting “war games.

North Korea has accused the United States of mobilising its allies against it in a “campaign of sanctions and military threats to pressure the country to unilaterally disarm.

This year, North Korea has launched dozens of ballistic missiles, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and an intermediate-range missile flown over Japan.

South Korean officials have concluded that North Korea is coming up with plans to conduct a nuclear test this month, possibly by the end of the month.

Experts say that North Korea wants to force the U.S. to accept it as a nuclear power and to seek economic and security concessions from a position of strength.

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