South Korea and the US conducted combined air drills, involving at least one US B-52H strategic bomber, over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, a day after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), Seoul's Defense Ministry said, according to Yonhap News Agency.
South Korea deployed F-15K fighters to the drills, while the US also sent F-16 jets, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
"Through this exercise, South Korea and the US enhanced combined operational capabilities through the swift deployment of the US extended deterrence asset that was coordinated in a timely manner," the JCS said in a release.
It said the drills demonstrated the US' resolve to carry out its "extended deterrence" commitment, adding that the South Korea-US alliance will continue to realize "peace through strength" based on their "overwhelming" capabilities.
Extended deterrence refers to America's commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.
The North's state media has confirmed the country fired a solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM on Wednesday, raising tensions already heightened by the North's accusations earlier this week claiming US military spy aircraft "intruded" into the area over its exclusive economic zone.
The US pledged to enhance the "regular visibility" of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula in a joint declaration issued by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden during their summit in Washington in April.
Source: Kuwait News Agency