United States stealth jets flying over S. Korea amid N. Korea standoff

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AP) — Four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters flew low over South Korea on Wednesday in a clear show of force against North Korea, a day after South Korea’s president warned of the North’s collapse amid a festering standoff over its nuclear and missile ambitions.

The fighters are normally based in Okinawa and can reach the Korean Peninsula in just two hours.

Following Pyongyang’s rocket launch, Seoul announced it will begin talks with Washington on deploying a sophisticated US missile defense system in South Korea and that the allies’ upcoming springtime military drills will be the biggest ever.

Her comments are likely to trigger an angry response from the North, which is already smarting from the President’s unprecedented decision last week to shut down the operations of South Korean companies at the jointly-run Kaesong industrial estate in North Korea.

“This mission demonstrates the strength” of the US-South Korea alliance and “the resolve of both nations to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula”, Lieutenant General Terrence J. Last month, Washington deployed the nuclear-capable B-52 bomber to South Korea, four days after Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test.

South Korea and the United States said the North’s rocket launch on February 7 was a long-range missile test and violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban the use of ballistic missile technology by the isolated state.

His report, dated January 19 but published on Monday, also said three experts should be appointed to find the best legal path to hold North Korea to account and find “creative and practical” ways to establish the truth and ensure justice for victims.

A high-ranking Seoul official said the USA seeks to ensure its forces overseas will be able to swiftly join South Korean forces in contingencies.

Pyongyang said the rocket launch was to put a satellite in orbit. Pyongyang has long accused Washington and Seoul of agitating for its collapse.

Only the UN Security Council can involve the court, but North Korea’s sole ally, China, a veto-wielding member of the top UN body, has repeatedly rejected calls for the Security Council to tackle human rights in North Korea.

In response to Seoul’s Kaesong shutdown decision, Pyongyang last week expelled all the South Korean workers from the factory park, put its military in charge of the area, and cut off key communication hotlines between the Koreas.

Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.