Washington has sent a major warning to Kim Jong-un by flying warplanes near the North Korean Peninsula just days after Pyongyang tested a nuclear missile.
Two US Air Force supersonic bombers flew with allied fighter jets near the island on Wednesday. The pair of American B-1B Lancers were accompanied by US F-16s, South Korean F-15Ks and Japanese F-2 fighter aircraft on Wednesday, images show.
It marked the second trilateral aerial exercise of the year, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
It said in a statement: “The continued high-end interoperability of our collective forces demonstrates the strength of the trilateral relationship with our Japan and Republic of Korea allies.
“Our international cooperation is reflective of our shared values and resolve against those who challenge regional stability.”
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It comes after the Hermit state carried out its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five months on Monday.
South Korea’s military said the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before landing between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Pyongyang warned the drill was a response to confrontational US and South Korean moves after American long-range B-1B bombers flew to the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea’s supreme leader praised troops involved in its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test.
Local media cited the dictator as saying that the launch demonstrated the evolution of the North’s nuclear doctrine and strategy “not to hesitate even with a nuclear attack when the enemy provokes it with nukes.”
He met troops from the General Missile Bureau on Wednesday to praise them for the launch of the lethal Hwasong-18 missile, its newest and most powerful weapon of mass destruction.
Kim has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons on his rivals if provoked.
The US State Department said in a statement: “These launches, like the other ballistic missile launches Pyongyang has conducted this year, are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.”
This week the United States-Republic of Korea Nuclear Consultative Group met to discuss nuclear deterrence efforts.
Biden officials said Kim would see his “end” if a nuclear strike went ahead.
The White House specified that an attempt to hit South Korea would be “met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response.”
The warning came months after Pyongyang shared the results of a simulation showing the impact a nuclear attack with ballistic missiles would have on South Korea.
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