• Both countries are conducting drills, the same day as South Korea carried out a ballistic missile test.
• North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
• Following the missile’s landing, the Japan Coast Guard advised all vessels to wait for further information.

US strategic bombers took part in joint air drills with South Korean forces on Sunday, the same day as North Korea carried out a suspected ballistic missile test, according to the South Korean military.

The drill included US B-1B strategic bombers, South Korean Air Force F-35A stealth aircraft, and US Air Force F-16 fighters, according to a military news statement.

North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan shortly after 11 a.m. local time, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense and the South Korean army.

The South Korean Defense Ministry, however, refused to disclose whether the air training drill with US bombers took place before or after the missile launch.

South Korean military

“The South Korea-US alliance maintains the best-combined defense posture in the face of North Korea’s continued regional instability,” the South Korean military said in its press release.

“Going forward, we will realize ‘Peace through Strength’ and enhance the credibility of the US extended deterrence based on the solid capabilities and posture of the alliance,” it added.

According to Japan’s defense ministry, the suspected ballistic missile launched by North Korea on Sunday achieved a maximum altitude of roughly 50km (31 miles) and traveled a distance of approximately 800km (497 miles). According to the South Korean military, it was launched from the Dongchang-ri area of North Pyongan province in North Korea and landed in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

Following the missile’s landing, the Japan Coast Guard advised all vessels to wait for further information, avoid approaching falling debris, and report anything unusual.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea stated that the military had increased monitoring and vigilance in anticipation for additional launches “while maintaining a full readiness posture through close cooperation with the US.”

North Korea frequently responds to what it perceives as “provocations” by the US with bellicose threats. Its leader, Kim Jong Un, has accused the United States and South Korea of inflaming tensions through joint military exercises.

North Korea has conducted a series of missile tests, including one of a long-range ballistic missile on Thursday while leaders from South Korea and Japan convened in Tokyo, as well as the shooting of two cruise missiles from a submarine and two short-range ballistic missiles days earlier.

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