Seoul, April 15
South Korea and the United States on Tuesday staged joint air drills, involving at least one US B-1B bomber, over the Korean Peninsula, the defence ministry said, in a show of force against North Korean military threats.
The drills, which also mobilised South Korean F-35A and F-16 fighter jets and US F-16s, were designed to demonstrate the allies' capabilities to respond to North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, according to the ministry.
The drills coincided with the 113th birth anniversary of North Korea's late state founder Kim Il-sung, a major national holiday in the North, called the "Day of the Sun."
"In order to deter and respond to North Korea's threats, South Korea and the US will continue to expand combined exercises and strengthen the level of cooperation of the South Korea-US alliance," the ministry said.
It did not specify the number of B-1Bs deployed or the exact location of the drills, news agency reported.
The exercise marked the second one of its kind this year after the allies staged similar drills, involving the US heavy bomber, on February 20.