US flies supersonic bombers and fighter jets over Korean Peninsula in latest show of might against Kim Jong Un

A US Air Force B-1B bomber drops a bomb over the Korean Peninsula on Thursday
AP
Eleanor Rose31 August 2017

The US has flown two state-of-the-art bombers over the Korean peninsula two days after a North Korean missile fired over Japan ratcheted up tensions.

The joint US-South Korea drills involved two nuclear-capable US B-1B bombers, four US stealth F-35B jets and were a clear warning to dictator Kim Jong Un, according to defence officials in Seoul.

North Korea strongly objects to the exercises, which it sees as a preparation for invasion.

It has issued a series of threats and missiles launches in recent weeks.

US president Donald Trump has responded with his own threats, warning North Korea it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States and that the US military was "locked and loaded" in case of provocation.

South Korean F-15K fighter jets drop bombs during a training on Tuesday
South Korea Ministry of National Defense

Mr Trump on Wednesday declared "talking is not the answer" to resolving the long-standing impasse with North Korea.

"The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years," wrote Mr Trump on Twitter.

Last week, he said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "starting to respect" the United States.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis took a more moderate stance when asked by reporters just hours later if the United States had run out of diplomatic solutions with North Korea.

"No," he replied.

"We are never out of diplomatic solutions."

His comments came ahead of a meeting with his South Korean counterpart at the Pentagon.

"We continue to work together, and the minister and I share a responsibility to provide for the protection of our nations, our populations and our interests," he said.

Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera spoke to Mr Mattis by telephone and agreed to keep putting pressure on North Korea in a "visible" form, Japan's defence ministry said.

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