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Joint air drills involving Korean and US bombers and fighters on Dec. 20, 2022 (Ministry of National Defense) |
A US strategic bomber B-52 is set to arrive at a South Korean air base later this week, multiple sources said Monday, in the latest show of force against North Korea's missile and nuclear threat.
It would mark the first time that the B-52 Stratofortress has landed at a South Korean air base although the long-range bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons flew over the Korean Peninsula for joint drills between South Korea and the United States.
The B-52 is one of the major US strategic bombers along with the B-2 Spirit and B-1B Lancer, which landed at Osan Air base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, in September 2016.
The deployment of the nuclear-capable B-52 is expected to demonstrate the US commitment to further enhance the regular visibility of strategic assets in the region amid heightened tension over Pyongyang's growing nuclear threat and plan to launch a military spy satellite again this month after two failed attempts this year.
The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrived at the southeastern port of Busan on Thursday for a five-day visit following trilateral naval drills involving the United States, South Korea and Japan.
In July, Pyongyang denounced the US deployment of strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula as "the most undisguised nuclear blackmail" against North Korea. (Yonhap)
