United States flies B-52 bomber over South Korea amid North tensions

The US is an ally of the South and said the B-52’s flight was a response “to recent provocative action by North Korea”, reportedly.

In addition to the B-52 bomber, USA and South Korean defense authorities were continuing discussion on further deployment of ” strategic assets”, South Korea’s defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said at a press briefing on Monday.

South Korean media said strategic assets Washington may utilise in Korea included B-2 bombers, nuclear-powered submarines and F-22 stealth fighter jets. South Korea has resumed cross-border propaganda broadcasts, which the North Korean government considers an act of war.

The bomber flew low past the Osan air base, flanked by an entourage of two South Korean F-15Ks and two U.S. F-16s before returning to its home base, the two sides’ militaries said. Seoul has insisted on a strong response to Pyongyang, but China has said the issue needs to be resolved through dialogue – despite Beijing’s waning influence over the Kim Jong Un leadership.

There are fewer South Koreans at the park than usual, because South Korea began limiting entry to the area after the North announced a nuclear test on Wednesday.

Tensions in the Korean peninsula are running high after Pyongyang recently claimed to have tested a new H-bomb, raising concerns over the security of the region.

It said that Kim had posed for photos with nuclear scientists and technicians involved in the latest test and praised them for “having glorified” his two predecessors – late father, Kim Jong-Il, and grandfather, Kim Il-Sung. “Almost all of its socioeconomic activities will be paralyzed, from the transportation sector to the military sector; inflation will rise; prices will soar; social anxiety will cause riots; and North Korean society will face a collapse”. South Korean and U.S. forces “should be put on full alert in order to counter any provocations by the North, ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula”, he added.

Lee Sun-jin’s comments were made during a visit with General Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander of US forces in Korea, to the Osan Air Base operated jointly with USA and South Korea.

The new restriction was “aimed at securing the safety of South Koreans as the North is expected to react to Seoul’s resumption of anti-North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts”, ministry spokesperson Jeong Joon-hee told reporters.

Earlier Monday, a spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which deals with North Korean affairs, said that it would impose tougher entry restrictions to the Kaesong Industrial Complex and workers in the park would have their stays limited to the “minimum necessary level” for their own safety. After its third test, in 2013, the Security Council took about three weeks to agree a resolution that tightened financial restrictions and cracked down on its attempts to ship and receive banned cargo.