The previous joint air maneuvers over the Yellow Sea took place on Wednesday and involved one B-1B strategic bomber and several F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters of the US Air Force alongside South Korean F-35A fighters.

“The combined drills this time were conducted with the goal of improving combined operational capabilities and interoperability between the Air Forces of South Korea and the US,” the South Korean military was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency.

On Tuesday, South Korea and the US agreed to further expand and bolster the level and scale of their joint exercises this year. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Washington “stands firm in its extended deterrence commitment,” adding that Pyongyang had carried out an “unprecedented number” of provocative actions in 2022.

Following the US-South Korea drills on Wednesday, Pyongyang said that it would respond toughly to any military action of Washington under the principle of “nuke for nuke and an all-out confrontation for an all-out confrontation.”

MP/PR