South Korean and US forces conduct combined exercise involving B-1B bomber

SEOUL, South Korea — The U.S. and South Korean militaries conducted an aerial exercise involving at least one U.S. B-1B bomber and multiple fighter jets in the allies’ first joint air force drill of President Donald Trump's second term.

Seoul's Defense Ministry said South Korean F-35 and F-15 fighter jets and American F-16s were involved in the exercise over the Korean Peninsula, but it didn't specify how many. The training was conducted to demonstrate the U.S. deterrence capabilities against North Korean nuclear and missile threats and improve interoperability between South Korean and U.S. forces, the ministry said in a statement.

South Korea and the United States in recent years have expanded their combined military exercises and joint three-way drills with Japan in the face of growing North Korean nuclear threats, while also sharpening their defense strategies built around U.S. strategic assets. The drills have increasingly involved advanced U.S. weapons systems, such as long-range bombers, aircraft carriers and submarines.

Tensions are at their highest in years as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his military nuclear capabilities and align with Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, while ignoring calls by the United States and Asian neighbors to resume denuclearization negotiations.

North Korea on Tuesday criticized Washington, Seoul and Tokyo for pursuing the “absurd” goal of denuclearizing the North and said it will push to expand its nuclear forces under Kim’s direction. The statement came after the top diplomats of the U.S., South Korea and Japan met at a security conference in Germany and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military cooperation and reinforcing an international sanctions regime to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.