US Forces In South Korea Put On Highest Alert

The B-52 flight follows a victory tour by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to celebrate the country’s widely disputed claim of a hydrogen bomb test. Kim is seeking to rally pride in an explosion viewed with outrage by much of the world and to boost his domestic political goals.

When Seoul and Beijing opened their military hotline on New Year’s Eve, Han said he expected the link to pave the way for “close cooperation and communication” between the two countries, and Chang responded the hotline demonstrates the “high level of importance” China places on its relations with South Korea.

It said a man identified as Kim Dong Chul was being held by the Pyongyang government and that authorities had accused him of engaging in spying and stealing state secrets. “North Korea’s nuclear test is a blatant violation of its worldwide obligations”.

Curtis Scaparrotti, commander of the United Nations (UN) Command/Combined Forces Command/US Forces Korea (USFK), made the order during a visit to the Osan Air Base, operated jointly by the US and South Korea, a USFK official said.

The South has taken an uncompromising stance in the wake of Wednesday’s test, urging the worldwide community to impose harsh sanctions on Pyongyang and resuming high-decibel propaganda broadcasts into North Korea.

Now, according to the statement, North Korea “possesses the strongest deterrent forces”. “We know they will continue doing it, so the real question is what will we do about it”. For China, these issues are as unnerving as the latest North Korean nuclear test.

The B-52 was escorted by F-15k fighter jets from the South Korean Air Force and US F-16 fighters based in South Korea.

Its creation allowed South Korean companies to benefit from the low cost of North Korean labor.

South Korean media said strategic assets Washington may utilize in Korea included B-2 bombers, nuclear-powered submarines and F-22 stealth fighter jets.

No significant troop movements have been detected in North Korea that could signal an imminent provocation, and the U.S. is in talks with South Korea about deploying more strategic assets to the peninsula, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min Seok said Monday at a briefing.

In a show of force & support the USA sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber in a flight over South Korea.

North Korea initially claimed that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, prompting worldwide outrage.

The nuclear test raised tensions in north Asia.

He was apparently referring to joint annual military exercises that usually begin in February or March and invariably provoke an angry reaction from North Korea.

A similar tactic was used by the Treasury Department a decade ago, Royce said, and it drained North Korea of the hard currency essential for buying the parts and supplies necessary for weapons development and missile production.