South Korea on Friday scrambled about 80 fighter jets after detecting about 180 flights by North Korean warplanes in what appeared to be a defiant show of strength.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korean aircraft were detected in multiple areas north of the “tactical action line” north of the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas.
In response, South Korea scrambled 80 aircraft, including advanced F-35 fighter jets, while about 240 jets participating in the Vigilant Storm air exercises with the United States continued their drills.
This comes after a flight of 10 North Korean warplanes made similar maneuvers last month, prompting South Korea to scramble its jets.
North Korea also fired a record number of 23 missiles on Wednesday, which prompted the U.S. and South Korea to extend their military drills.
The threat of war between the two countries has increased dramatically since North Korea declared itself a nuclear power.
“As long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth, and imperialism and the anti-North Korean maneuvers of the US and its followers remain, our road to strengthening our nuclear force will never end,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said in September.
Kim has also been threatening its adversaries with his advancing nuclear program in recent months. Since January, North Korea has test-launched seven missiles, surpassing the number of missiles it tested last year. Included in those tests were a supposed hypersonic glide vehicle and an intermediate-range ballistic missile called Hwasong-12.
“In today’s world where many countries waste time dealing with the United States with submission and blind obedience, there’s only our country on this planet that can shake the world by firing a missile with the U.S. mainland in its range,” read a statement by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry earlier this year.
.@SecDef: We are committed to building on these efforts to strengthen integrated deterrence… and to ensure that this Alliance continues to bolster security and stability on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/nrBvhmNwNq
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) November 3, 2022
As a counter to North Korea’s nuclear threats, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup agreed earlier this month to seek new measures to demonstrate the alliance’s “determination and capabilities.”
“Secretary Austin and I affirm that any nuclear attack by the DPRK including the use of tactical nuclear weapons is unacceptable and result in the end of Kim Jong Un regime by the overwhelming and decisive response of the Alliance. This is a strong warning against the DPRK,” Lee said.
