The two countries conducted a joint air exercise over the sea to the
west of the Korean Peninsula on Friday, with warplanes such as South
Korea's F35A, and United States' F-22 and F-35B participating, the
South Korean military said in a statement.
The Air Forces of both countries "will continue to strengthen joint
drills to have strong response capabilities and readiness against
North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," it said in a statement.
Last year, North Korea conducted a record number of ballistic
missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council
resolutions. It was also observed reopening its shuttered nuclear
weapons test site, raising expectations of a nuclear test for the
first time since 2017.
On Thursday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said earlier drills by
the United States and its allies had reached an "extreme red line"
and threatened to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a
more critical war zone."
Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington
pursued hostile policies, said the statement carried by North
Korea's state news agency.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Christina Fincher)
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