June 5, Seoul
The South Korean military announced on Wednesday that the first joint bombing drills with the US in seven years took place over the Korean Peninsula, with a B-1B bomber being flown by the US. Tensions have been rising since North Korea resorted to blocking the GPS signals of the South and sending trash-filled balloons to the south. This latest development adds fuel to the fire. The South Korean military reportedly halted an inter-Korean military pact that was established in 2018, according to Yonhap news agency.
According to the ministry, as cited by Yonhap news agency, the US bomber was escorted by South Korean F-15K fighter planes during Wednesday's exercise, during which it fired Joint Direct Attack Munitions at an unidentified firing range in the country. The United States last conducted a drill involving B-1B bombers in South Korea in 2017.
"Under close coordination between South Korea and the United States, this exercise took place with a focus on implementing the U.S. extended deterrence commitment and strengthening the combined defence posture," according to the ministry. According to the ministry, the South Korean F-15Ks were also present during the live-fire exercises, showcasing the "solid" joint defensive stance in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Air drills were conducted by the US bomber alongside South Korean fighter jets F-35A and KF-16, as well as US fighter jets F-35B and F-16. The exact count of B-1B aircraft used in the drill was not disclosed.
For the first time in five years, following the suspension of an inter-Korean military pact in 2018, the South Korean military announced on Tuesday that it would resume all military operations along the demarcation line dividing the two Koreas and the North West Islands. The United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin, the Minister of Defence of Japan Kihara Minoru, and the Minister of National Defence of South Korea Shin Won-sik met in Singapore for a trilateral ministerial meeting on June 2.
Reiterating their countries' long-standing stances on Taiwan, the three leaders emphasised the need of regional harmony as "an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community." According to Taiwan News, they also demanded a peaceful conclusion to the cross-strait conflicts. The two neighbouring countries were physically separated after the armistice that concluded the Korean War in 1953. On May 27, the United States and its security partners slammed Pyongyang for trying to launch a rocket carrying satellites against UN Security Council resolutions, while Russia and China supported North Korea's move.
During a recent UN security council meeting, Khaled Khiari, the assistant secretary general for the middle east and Asia and the Pacific, stated that North Korea has violated relevant resolutions by significantly increasing its missile launch activities since 2022, with over 100 launches using ballistic missile technology.
