North Korea has reacted angrily to news that the U.S. has twice conducted B-52 Stratofortress sorties over South Korea as part of recent military exercises, threatening on the 20th, “If this happens again then we will respond militarily.”
A spokesperson for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Chosun Central News Agency (KCNA), “We are closely observing the movements of the B-52 strategic bomber. If the strategic bomber were to come near the Chosun Peninsula again then the enemy forces would not be able to run away from our powerful military response.”
The spokesperson went on, “Bringing a strategic nuclear attack tool to the Chosun Peninsula at a time like this, when the Peninsula is on the verge of war, is an intolerable provocation intended to test our iron will.”
The B-52 Stratofortress flew from its home base on the U.S. island of Guam over the Korean Peninsula first on the 8th, and again on the 19th. However, the U.S. Department of Defense only publicly acknowledged the sorties this week.
According to a South Korean military source, “The B-52 attack training involved attacking a virtual target set up at a firing range near Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. After successfully hitting the target it went straight back to Guam without landing.”
The B-52 is a key part of the United States nuclear umbrella in East Asia. The sorties were, according to Department of Defense spokesperson George Little, to “[draw] attention to the fact that we have extended deterrence capabilities that we believe are important to demonstrate in the wake of recent North Korean rhetoric.”
