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

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In this photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry, U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber, top second from left, F-16 fighter jet and South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter jets, right bottom, fly over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea during a joint aerial drill between South Korea and the United States, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

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In this photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry, U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber, top center, F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter jets, right top, fly over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea during a joint aerial drill between South Korea and the United States, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

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In this photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry, U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber, top center, F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter jets, right bottom, fly over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea during a joint aerial drill between South Korea and the United States, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

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In this photo provided by the South Korea Defense Ministry, U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber, top center, F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter jets, right top, fly over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea during the joint aerial drills between South Korea and the United States, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (South Korea Defense Ministry via AP)

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By KIM TONG-HYUNG

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — 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.

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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.

KIM TONG-HYUNG

Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Korea’s economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children.