US, ROK begin joint military drills amid DPRK threats

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‍The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States began joint military drills on Monday described by Pyongyang as an "all-out provocation" that could lead to a nuclear war.

The five-day "Vigilant Ace" drills involve 230 warplanes and about 12,000 US Air force personnel and marines training alongside their ROK counterparts at eight military installations, according to a statement released by the US Air Force.

The annual war games run from Monday to Friday, and reportedly involve F15 and F16 fighter planes, electronic warfare aircraft including the EA-18G "Growler" as well as B1B and the F35 strategic bombers.

F-35 stealth bombers can fly at speeds close to 2,000 km/h and are capable of carrying nuclear and "bunker buster" bombs.

In a rare move, the US has also sent six state-of-the-art F22 Raptor aircraft to the exercises, which are aimed at simulating the destruction of the nuclear facilities, missile launch sites, and mobile missile launchers of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

On Saturday, the DPRK’s Foreign Ministry responded to the drills with a statement describing US president Donald Trump as a "nuclear demon" who, along with his administration, is “begging for nuclear war."

Last week the DPRK tested a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile that many analysts believe could reach the US mainland, though there is widespread doubt it could do so while carrying a heavy nuclear payload.

AFP Photo‍

However, most analysts say that it is only a matter of time before Pyongyang increases the range of its missiles and masters the heat-shield technology required to protect a nuclear warhead upon re-entry of the earth’s atmosphere.

This would make the DPRK’s nuclear missiles combat capable, something the US government has stated it will not accept.

On Sunday a prominent US lawmaker warned of the growing likelihood of a preemptive strike by the United States.

Senator Lindsay Graham told CBS’s Face the Nation program that "pre-emption is becoming more likely as their (the DPRK’s) technology matures."

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visits the Amnokgang Tyre Factory, where tyres for the missile launcher used in the latest test were reportedly made. /AFP Photo

A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Graham also urged the Pentagon not to send any more families of US military personal to the ROK, and to evacuate those already accompanying about 28,000 US troops stationed on the peninsula.

"It's crazy to send spouses and children to S. Korea, given the provocation of North Korea (DPRK). S. Korea should be an unaccompanied tour," said Graham.

The US, ROK, and Japan have pushed for tougher sanctions, including an oil embargo by China in the wake of the latest missile test.

Beijing has voiced its opposition to sanctions that do not solely target Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program and could deepen the hardship of DPRK citizens.

China has suggested the US and ROK suspend military drills in the hope that Pyongyang might freeze its nuclear and missile programs, a diplomatic solution known as "freeze-for-freeze," which has so far been rejected by both Pyongyang and Washington.