U.S. bombers fly over South Korea for
second time since North's nuclear test
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[September 21, 2016]
By Yoo Han-bin
OSAN, South Korea (Reuters) - Two U.S.
supersonic bombers flew over South Korea on Wednesday, with one of them
landing at an air base 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital, the second
such flight since North Korea's Sept. 9 nuclear test.
U.S. Forces Korea said the flight by a pair of B-1B Lancer strategic
bombers based in Guam was a show of force and of U.S. commitment to
preserve the security of the peninsula and the region.
The United States, which has about 28,500 troops in South Korea, flew
two B-1 bombers on Sept. 13 escorted by U.S. and South Korean fighter
jets in a show of solidarity with Seoul.
The North condemned the earlier flight as an armed provocation that
mobilized "ill-famed nuclear killing tools". It did not immediately
respond to Wednesday's flight.
The U.S. Air Force said the Wednesday flight was the closest ever to
North Korea by a B-1 bomber.
"Today marks the first time the airframe has landed on the Korean
peninsula in 20 years, as well as conducting the closest flight near
North Korea ever," the U.S. Air Force said on its website which also
showed a B-1B bomber landing at the base in South Korea.
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The South's Yonhap news agency said the aircraft flew over a U.S.
live-fire training site in the Pocheon area bordering the North.
North Korea has ignored global condemnation of its fifth nuclear test on
Sept. 9, and this week said it had successfully tested a new rocket
engine that would be used to launch satellites, again in violation of
U.N. sanctions.
The leaders of the United States and China, which is the North's main
diplomatic ally and economic benefactor, condemned the latest nuclear
test and pledged to step up cooperation at the United Nations and in law
enforcement channels.
CHINA URGES RESTRAINT
U.N. diplomats say the two countries have begun discussions on a
possible U.N. resolution in response to the latest nuclear test, but
China has not said directly whether it would support tougher steps
against North Korea.
China, which has objected to a planned U.S. deployment of a THAAD
missile defense system in the South to counter the North's missile
threat, called on "all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid any
actions that could further escalate tensions".
South Korea's prime minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, told parliament South Korea
wanted existing U.N. sanctions against the North tightened by removing
loopholes that allow it to trade in minerals if it is for subsistence.
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A U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber lands Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek,
South Korea, September 21, 2016. Yonhap/via REUTERS
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North Korea has been testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles
at an unprecedented rate this year, beginning with its fourth
nuclear test in January and including the launch of a satellite in
February that was widely seen as a test of long-range ballistic
missile technology.
The North's test of a new rocket engine for satellite launchers this
week was believed to be part of a long-range missile program,
according to the South's military.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, ordered preparations for the
launch of a satellite "as soon as possible" on the basis of the
successful test, its state media reported.
North Korea this month fired three missiles that flew about 1,000 km
(600 miles), and in August tested a submarine-launched ballistic
missile that experts said showed considerable progress.
It also launched an intermediate-range missile in June that experts
said marked a technological advance for the isolated state after
several failed tests.
South Korean Defence Minister Han Min-koo told parliament the North
was developing all types of missiles, from short- to long-range, and
its advances were "considerable".
(Refiles to clarify the flight was the closest to border by a B-1
bomber in paragraph five)
(Additional reporting by James Pearson in Seoul and Michael Martina
in Beijing; Writing by Ju-min Park, Jack Kim; Editing by Paul Tait,
Robert Birsel)
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