North Korea Warns It Will Take Intensive Action Regarding South Korean-US-Japan Air Exercises Using Bombing Aircraft

JAKARTA - North Korea (North Korea) warned on Friday it would "more intensively" use the right to defend itself, condemning South Korea (South Korea), the United States (US) and Japan for holding joint air exercises, involving US B-1B bombers.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued the statement as the three countries held a joint trilateral air exercise, involving two US B-1B bombers, on Wednesday over the Korean Peninsula, following North Korea's recent launch of a hypersonic ballistic missile and short-range.

The head of the ministry's external policy office expressed "serious" concerns "provocation" by the US and its allies adding to the security instability on the peninsula, according to the Korean Central News Agency, as quoted by The Korea Times January 17.

The ministry "insists once again that the implementation of the right to self-defense by the DPRK to defend the right to sovereignty and the security interests of the country will be carried out more intensively," the official said, using the acronym of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The official also warned that his country would exercise its right to defend itself "more thoroughly and perfectly" in accordance with its "heaviest countermeasures strategy" in a bid to firmly prevent any military provocation by its enemies.

It is known that the latest trilateral drills are aimed at increasing the shared capabilities between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo over the growing threat of Pyongyang nuclear and missile.

In a post on its website, the US Indo-Pacific Command said the drills were two Japanese F2 fighters, two South Korean F-15K fighters, escorting two US B-1B Lancer bombers.

"The first trilateral flight in 2025 was built on the history of strong trilateral cooperation, which allows a direct coordinated response to regional security challenges," USINDOPACOM wrote on its website.

"The increasingly stable and sophisticated trilateral interoperability of our air force and maritime forces strengthens our defense posture and collective deterrence," he continued.

"Our three countries maintain an absolute commitment to the safe, rule-based, free and open vision of the Indo-Pacific region," the command said.

North Korea launched what it claims is a hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile on January 6, followed by the launch of several short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday this week.