South Korea and the US carry out a show of force with 20 fighters after Pyongyang’s missile tests

South Korea Y USA They carried out joint maneuvers today with fighters over the Sea of ​​Japan (called the East Sea in the two Koreas) in response to the missile launches that the North Korean regime carried out last Sunday, the southern Ministry of Defense confirmed to Efe.

The maneuvers included, on the South Korean side, fifth-generation stealth fighters F35, one of the military assets that usually unleashes the most protests by North Korea.

LOOK: North Korea fires 8 short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of ​​Japan

Lhe South Korean air force also mobilized F-15 and F-16 fighters, while The United States contributed its own F-16s, detailed a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense in Seoul, who explained that the demonstration was carried out “in response to the provocations carried out by North Korea over the weekend.”

In total, some 20 aircraft participated in these exercises, They come just one day after the Allies fired eight short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) from the ATACMS system.

The test the day before was also intended to be a response to the eight SRBM missiles launched by Pyongyang on Sunday, in what was the largest sequence of launches in a single test by the regime in 2022.

The North Korean test took place days after Seoul and Washington held maritime exercises next to the Japanese archipelago of Okinawa that included the participation of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

Allies have begun deploying more and more military assets in their responses to North Korean weapons tests since conservative Yoon Suk-yeol became president on May 10. who has promised to toughen his stance towards Pyongyang vis-à-vis his predecessor, Moon Jae-in.

In turn, US President Joe Biden promised Yoon during his visit to Seoul at the end of last month that the US will help strengthen the “deterrent” position of both armies on the peninsula with the transfer and deployment of assets. strategic that the Pentagon has in the Indo-Pacific region based on the actions of the northern regime.

North Korea, which has been locked down since 2020 due to the pandemic, has ignored calls to revive the stalled disarmament dialogue and approved a weapons modernization plan last year that is behind a record number of missile launches. carried out this year and the preparations for a new nuclear test that is believed to be imminent.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.