North Korea criticized the US for deploying a B-1B strategic bomber in a recent joint military drill with South Korea, describing the move as an “open threat” to Pyongyang’s security, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported yesterday.
The North Korean Ministry of Defense spokesperson said in a statement carried by KCNA that the deployment of US strategic bombers in the region had become a routine military practice, while calling it “reckless bluffing.”
The B-1B was deployed in a joint military drill between South Korea and the US on Tuesday along with fighter jets, the South Korean Ministry of Defense said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Jeon Ha-kyu, spokesman for the South’s defense ministry, rejected North Korea’s criticism and said in a briefing that the military activities were defensive in nature.
B-1B bombers have been featured in joint military exercises in the past few years that North Korea has denounced as a rehearsal for war against it, while Seoul has portrayed the exercises as purely defensive.
“The recent military move of the US and the ROK is an open threat to the security of our state and a grave provocation that raises the military tension in the region to an extreme dangerous level,” the KCNA statement said, referring to South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.
The statement said that North Korea “will deter by dint of powerful force the US aggressive attempt to permanently fix the malignant instability element in the security environment of the region.”
The air forces of South Korea and the US yesterday started a two-week joint exercise known as “Freedom Flag,” the South’s defense ministry said, with fifth-generation stealth fighter jets deployed to take on the role of a mock enemy in training.
Additional reporting by AP
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS