US flies bombers for joint drills with South Korea, Japan after North’s long-range missile launch

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States has flown long-range bombers for joint drills with South Korea and Japan in a show of force against North Korea. The B-1B bombers’ flyover on Wednesday comes days after North Korea performed its first intercontinental ballistic missile test in five months. South Korea’s military says the South Korean-U.S.-Japanese drills off a southern South Korean island are meant to strengthen the countries’ joint response against North Korean nuclear threats. The B-1B is capable of carrying a large conventional weapons payload. North Korean has previously called the bomber’s deployment a proof of U.S. hostility and reacted with missile tests.