US precision bombing drill with South Korea is first in 7 years as tensions simmer with North

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States flew a long-range B-1B bomber over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday for its first precision-guided bombing exercise with South Korea in seven years, the military said. southerners.

The exercise – seen as a show of force against North Korea – comes at a time when tensions are rising due to the North’s recent launches of garbage-carrying balloons towards South Korea and other provocations.

Wednesday’s training involved other advanced U.S. and South Korean fighter jets, as well as the B-1B aircraft, the second U.S. bomber temporarily deployed over the Korean Peninsula this year. The exercise was intended to demonstrate the U.S. security commitment to South Korea and strengthen the allies’ joint defense posture, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry.

During the training, the B-1B launched joint direct attack munitions while being escorted by South Korean jets, the first such bombing exercise for a US bomber since 2017, a ministry statement said.

It said South Korean fighter jets also conducted live-fire exercises to demonstrate the country’s readiness to punish North Korea if provoked, it said.

JDAM bombs include “bunker busters”. JDAM is a guidance system that converts conventional unguided bombs into more precise GPS-guided weapons. All U.S. fighters, bombers and drones can use JDAMs, and the munitions are among the weapons systems the United States has supplied to Ukraine to help it combat Russia’s invasion.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to exercises using bunker-busting bombs, which could threaten its leadership and complex network of tunnels and underground military structures.

A B-1B is capable of carrying a large payload of conventional weapons. North Korea had previously considered the bomber’s deployment proof of US hostility. North Korea responded to previous flights of B-1Bs and other powerful U.S. aircraft into South Korea with its own missile tests.

Last week, North Korea floated hundreds of huge balloons to drop dung, cigarette butts, clothing scraps and battery waste across South Korea, outraged by previous campaigns by South Korean civilians to send balloons with leaflets and other items to North Korea. South Korea responded with a pledge to take “unbearable” retaliatory measures and suspended a fragile military agreement with North Korea, calling on both sides to reduce tensions along their border.

The suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean agreement allows South Korea to resume military activities, such as live-fire exercises or broadcasts of anti-North Korean propaganda over loudspeakers in border areas. Such measures will likely lead North Korea to take provocative steps in response.

Recently, North Korea launched a rocket in an attempt to put a second spy satellite into orbit, violating UN resolutions, but it exploded shortly after liftoff. It also tested nuclear-capable weapons for an exercise simulating a preemptive strike on South Korea and reportedly jammed GPS navigation signals in South Korea.

Since 2022, North Korea has dramatically accelerated the pace of missile testing in what foreign experts call an attempt to build a larger nuclear arsenal and increase its influence in future diplomacy with the United States. Nuclear disarmament negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have remained dormant since 2019.