Twenty-four hours after North Korea declared that it would stand up to any aggression from the United States and its ally South Korea, the largest ever combined military air drills by the two countries began on Monday, with hundreds of warplanes from both sides staging mock attacks 24 hours.
The operation, called Vigilant Storm, will run until Friday, and feature about 240 warplanes, including variants of the F-35 stealth fighter from both the US and South Korea, conducting about 1,600 sorties, the US Air Force said.
Washington and Seoul believe Pyongyang may be about to resume testing of nuclear bombs for the first time since 2017 and have embraced a strategy of “deterring” Pyongyang through major military drills that some current and former officials say may exacerbate tensions.
North Korea on Monday demanded that the US and South Korea stop the joint drills, calling them a provocation that may draw “more powerful follow-up measures” from Pyongyang.
Pyongyang followed with a strongly-worded warning aimed at the United States and South Korea, warning them against continuing their joint military drills and vowing more powerful response to US’ provocations.
“The situation in the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity has entered the serious confrontation phase of power for power again due to the ceaseless and reckless military moves of the US and South Korea,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a Monday statement that was carried by the country’s official KCNA news agency.
“If the US continuously persists in the grave military provocations, the DPRK will take into account more powerful follow-up measures,” the statement added, using the initials of the North’s official name.
Earlier in the day, the US and the South kicked off their largest five-day-long joint aerial drills with hundreds of warplanes staging mock attacks round the clock.
The war games, dubbed Vigilant Storm, feature nearly 240 warplanes conducting about 1,600 sorties, US Air Force said in a statement, boasting that the exercises were unprecedented in their size.
Press TV
