Politics
12:42, 20-Jun-2017
US bombers to conduct mock bombing raids in Korean Peninsula
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The United States will conduct mock bombing raids over the Korean Peninsula in what sources say will be a demonstration of Washington’s ability to neutralize Pyongyang.
Plans have been drawn up for a pair of B-1B supersonic bombers to fly from a US base in Guam to South Korea’s eastern region, near the border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, a South Korean military source said the mock raid would serve as a show of force to the DPRK, which has consistently refused to abandon its nuclear weapon and missile programs.
Moon Chung-in speaks on a "Crisis on the Peninsula: Implications for the US - Korea Alliance" panel at the Asia Society in New York, US, June 19, 2017. /VCG Photo
Moon Chung-in speaks on a "Crisis on the Peninsula: Implications for the US - Korea Alliance" panel at the Asia Society in New York, US, June 19, 2017. /VCG Photo
Last week, Moon Chung-in, an adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said Seoul is willing to scale down its deployment of American military hardware on the peninsula if Pyongyang halts its nuclear and missile activities.
The South Korean government has distanced itself from these comments, describing them as the adviser’s personal opinion.
The B-1B Lancer bombers will be dispatched from the US Andersen Air Force base in Guam in the Western Pacific. The planes will travel for two hours to get to the Korean Peninsula.
The bombers will reportedly fly over the southern waters of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, before moving to waters east of the Korean Peninsula, where a joint drill with South Korean fighter jets will be held.
(With inputs from Xinhua)