07 June 2022•Update: 07 June 2022
ANKARA
The US and South Korean militaries on Tuesday conducted a joint air power show involving 20 fighter jets over the Yellow Sea amid ongoing tensions on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea mobilized 16 combat aircraft, including F-35As, F-15Ks and KF-16s, while the US deployed four F-16 fighters, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a statement by Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The air power show came just a day after both countries’ forces fired eight ground-to-ground ballistic missiles into the East Sea in a tit-for-tat response to North Korea's launch of eight short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday.
"The South and the U.S. demonstrated their strong capabilities to rapidly and accurately strike in the event of any North Korean provocations, as well as their will to do so," said the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Earlier, a senior US diplomat Wendy Sherman warned North Korea of a "swift and forceful" response in case of a nuclear test.
"Any nuclear tests would be in complete violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Sherman told reporters after a meeting with her South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun-dong in Seoul.
The deputy US secretary of state arrived in Seoul after North Korea's latest missile launches and fears of another nuclear test.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said on Monday the agency detected indications that North Korea is preparing for a nuclear test at its Punggye-ri site.
On Sunday, North Korea launched at least eight short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the third missile test since the inauguration of South Korea's new President Yoon-Seok-yeol last month and the 18th since the beginning of 2022.
In response to North Korea's missile launches, South Korea and the US launched eight missiles into the East Sea the following day.
Since last year, tensions have mounted on the Korean Peninsula as both the North and South have engaged in frequent military drills to show their military strength.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
