According to the South Korean military, the US bomber landed at a South Korean air base last Tuesday. The long-haul aircraft is capable of traveling 8,800 miles (the equivalent of 14,000 kilometers) without having to refuel.
North Korea considers all such military maneuvers to be preparations for a possible invasion and has repeatedly threatened a decisive response. Pyongyang vehemently opposes Washington’s stationing of long-range weapons and already threatened to “shoot down” US strategic bombers outside North Korean airspace in 2017.
In view of numerous North Korean missile tests this year, South Korea has strengthened its military ties with the USA and also wants to bring Japan on board. In August, the heads of state and government of the three countries met for a summit at the US president’s country estate in Camp David, where they agreed, among other things, to exchange real-time data on North Korea and to conduct regular joint military exercises. Earlier this month, the three countries held a joint naval exercise off the Korean Peninsula for the first time in seven years.
