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| Two U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bombers and F-22 stealth fighter jets accompany Republic of Korea Air Force F-35 fighter jets over the West Sea during a joint air drill, in this handout photo taken Feb. 1. Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
Regime will likely double down on aggression, conduct nuke test this month, analyst says
By Jung Min-ho
North Korea threatened an eye-for-an-eye response to South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises, Thursday, when stealth fighter jets and strategic bombers took part in the two allies' first joint air drills of the year.
The warning from Pyongyang comes two days after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a meeting in Seoul, during which he told South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup that there will be more joint exercises involving some of the U.S.' most powerful military assets in response to North Korea's evolving security threats.
"DPRK (North Korea) will take the toughest reaction to any military attempt of the U.S. on the principle of 'nuke for nuke and all-out confrontation for all-out confrontation,'" the foreign ministry spokesperson said. "If the U.S. continues to introduce strategic assets into the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding area, the DPRK will make clearer its deterring activities without fail according to their nature."
North Korea accused South Korea and the U.S. of fueling tensions on the peninsula toward an "extreme red line," vowing to use its "overwhelming" nuclear capabilities to handle any military challenges, if necessary.
According to South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, the drills in South Korea's western waters involved B-1B Lancers ― originally designed as supersonic nuclear bombers ― as well as F-22 and F-35B stealth jets of the U.S. Air Force and F-35A fighter planes of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
The two allies are also planning for scenario-based tabletop exercises later this month, with a focus on preparations for a nuclear attack from the North.
The latest drills demonstrated the two countries' shared will to protect South Korea and its people against any attempts to endanger it, the ministry said in a statement.
"South Korea and the U.S. will strengthen combined exercises featuring U.S. strategic assets to bolster the public trust in the U.S.' extended deterrence and beef up the military's combat readiness against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," it added.
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| A TV screen shows a North Korean missile launch during a news program at Seoul Station in central Seoul, Thursday. AP-Yonhap |
All this comes as the Korean public's trust in the U.S.' nuclear umbrella is wearing thin, with North Korea appearing increasingly capable of striking the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons. Many doubt if Washington would be willing to take the risk of a nuclear war with Pyongyang in the event of another armed conflict on the peninsula, calling on politicians to seek alternatives such as arming the country with its own nuclear arsenal.
Apparently aware of the skepticism, Austin promised to provide South Korea a NATO-style security guarantee, saying that the U.S. would consider an attack on "one of us" as an attack on the U.S.- South Korea alliance "as a whole."
As part of the effort to relieve the public anxiety, South Korea's military is set to test-launch the Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, capable of carrying a heavy warhead weighing up to nine tons, Friday.
Its maximum range remains unknown, but some reports say it could be 3,000 kilometers or longer, which easily covers the entire peninsula.
But, in a statement released the same day, the White House made it clear that it seeks talks with Pyongyang for peace in the region, saying it has "no hostile intent."
The U.S. presidential office reiterated it is willing to meet North Korean representatives "at a time and place convenient for them," rejecting the accusations that the U.S.' joint military exercises in South Korea serve as any sort of provocation.
Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea at the Sejong Institute, a think tank, reckons that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely react to the mixed messages by increasing aggression.
"It appears that the two sides have entered a vicious circle, where each side toughens up its position while demanding the other back down," Cheong told The Korea Times.
Cheong, who had previously predicted that North Korea would conduct its seventh nuclear weapons test this month, said he still holds to this belief. He cited three upcoming major events ― the 60th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's creation of the slogan "A-Match-for-a-Hundred" on Feb. 6, the 75th anniversary of its military foundation on Feb. 8 and the birthday of Kim Jong-il, the father and predecessor of the current leader, on Feb. 16.
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