US B-1B bombers conduct exercise over Korean Peninsula
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — Two U.S. supersonic bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula for bombing exercises that are also a show of force against North Korea ahead of President Donald Trump’s first official visit to Asia.
A South Korean military official said Friday the B-1B bombers based in Guam were escorted by two South Korean F-16 fighter jets during the drills Thursday at a field near the South’s eastern coast. The drills simulated attacks on land targets, but didn’t involve live weapons, said the official, who did not want to be named, citing office rules.
The B-1B was originally designed with nuclear capabilities, but switched to a conventional combat role in the mid-1990s. However, North Korea’s state media denounced the exercise as a “surprise nuclear strike drill” and said “gangster-like U.S. imperialists” were seeking to ignite a nuclear war.
The North Korean nuclear threat will likely overshadow Trump’s trip to Asia, which starts Sunday in Japan and will include stops in South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.