South Korea and US Conduct Joint Air Drills to Counter North Korean Threats
South Korea conducted joint military air drills with the United States on Thursday to strengthen deterrence against North Korean military threats, according to Seoul’s Defense Ministry. The exercise marked the first such drill since President Donald Trump’s inauguration last month and involved a B-1B bomber, South Korean F-35A and F-15K fighter jets, and US F-16 fighter jets, as reported by Yonhap News.
The South Korean Defense Ministry stated that the training was aimed at demonstrating the US’s extended deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats while enhancing the interoperability of South Korea-US combined forces. Earlier, on January 15, the two allies, along with Japan, had conducted trilateral air drills featuring two B-1B bombers, South Korean F-15K, and Japanese F-2 fighter jets.
Meanwhile, in a separate move, the South Korean Marine Corps carried out live-fire drills on Wednesday on two islands near the inter-Korean maritime border. The exercise comes amid rising tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang, further highlighting the security challenges in the region.
