South Korea and the United States put on an aerial show of military force to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Tuesday, showcasing 20 fighter jets over waters west of the Korean Peninsula in response to Pyongyang's continued missile tests.
The two nations sent the aircraft, which include South Korean F-35A, F-15K, and FK-16 fighters, and American F-16s, over the Yellow Sea, also known as the West Sea in South Korea. The spectacle happened on Tuesday morning in the wake of North Korea's launch of eight short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday.
South Korea, US, North Korea
In a statement on Tuesday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said that it and the U.S. have demonstrated their strong ability and will to strike quickly and accurately against the North's provocations. Authorities noted that the two countries demonstrated their combined defense capabilities and posture through the aerial show.
The flight of the aircraft came amid renewed fears that North Korea was on the verge of carrying out a new nuclear weapons test. On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that Pyongyang may have opened an access way to its underground nuclear testing site, as per CNN.
The report follows an assessment made by U.S. military and intelligence agencies last month that claims the North could be ready to resume underground nuclear testing at its Punggye-ri site. These were based on satellite images that showed signs of personnel and vehicle activity in the area.
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The area represents the site of all six of North Korea's nuclear tests to date and was partly dismantled in 2018 as part of an agreement between Pyongyang, Washington, and Seoul. The North's nuclear weapons program has been banned by the United Nations, and Pyongyang has not tested a nuclear weapon since 2017.
According to NBC News, in a statement, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who traveled to Seoul to discuss the standoff with South Korean and Japanese allies, warned of a "swift and forceful" response if Pyongyang decides to carry out another nuclear test.
Show of Force
While United States President Joe Biden's administration has pledged to push for additional international sanctions if North Korea continues with the nuclear test, the prospects of meaningful new punitive measures are unclear with the UN Security Council divided on the matter.
Following a meeting with South Korea Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong, Sherman said that any nuclear test conducted by the North would be in complete violation of UN Security Council resolutions. She added that they continue to urge Pyongyang to cease its destabilizing and provocative activities and choose the path of diplomacy.
The situation comes after South Korea and the U.S. also test-fired eight ballistic missiles on Monday following the North's recent activities. The munition included one American missile and seven South Korean missiles that went eastward into the sea to demonstrate the two countries' ability to respond quickly to crisis events, said the U.S. military on Monday.
Pyongyang's Sunday barrage of short-range missiles was the 18th round of missile launches this year alone. The nation has conducted an unprecedented number of tests, in line with leader Kim's five-year plan for the program, the Washington Post reported.
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