The US and South Korea have conducted a huge air training exercise involving 110 aircraft as tensions with North Korea continue to ramp up.
The exercises come after North Korea launched an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday.
South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said: “Through this large-scale joint air training exercise, we have demonstrated the ROK-US combined defence capability and posture to overwhelm the enemy in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
He continued: “In particular, we demonstrated world-class response capabilities and posture by accurately striking enemy TEL targets, covertly penetrating through virtual enemy radar networks, and quickly and precisely striking enemy leadership.”
North Korea’s missile launch was its first in nearly a year.
South Korea and Japan detected the weapons, believed to be more sophisticated that Pyongyang’s previous warheads.
North Korean state media said the launch was ordered by President Kim Jong-un.
Kim said the launch will serve as a warning to those “threatening the country’s security”.
He continued: “The test fire is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals.
“I affirm that the DPRK will never change its line of bolstering up its nuclear forces.”
The US branded the missile launch a “flagrant violation” of multiple UN Security Council resolutions that “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region”.
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