US, Japan, S. Korea fighters fly over Korean Peninsula

The United States’ supersonic bombers fly over the Korean Peninsula along with fighters from Japan and South Korea, both of which consider Pyongyang a threat.

The US Pacific Air Forces announced in a statement Sunday that the US jets took off from an air base in Guam and were joined by Japanese and South Korean fighters.

It added that the 10-hour sequenced bilateral mission was a direct response to Pyongyang's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday and another one on July 4.

“North Korea remains the most urgent threat to regional stability,” Pacific Air Forces Commander General Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy said.

Pyongyang says it has the ability to strike America’s mainland, a claim they say is proven by the Friday’s ICBM test.

“The successful ICBM test-fire is another great victory which dealt a heavy blow to the U.S. imperialists and its vassal forces keen on obliterating the DPRK’s [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] dignity and its right to existence,” Kim Yu Chol, a researcher of the State Academy of Sciences, told KCNA.

Pyongyang has also maintained that it would retaliate against any aggression by the US or its regional allies.

“If the United States sticks to its military adventurism against us and super-intensive sanctions schemes, we will respond with stern action of justice as we have already declared,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement on Sunday, KCNA reported.

China, meanwhile, has voiced concerns over the situation particularly with US President Donald Trump in office.

“At the same time, China hopes all parties act with caution, to prevent tensions from continuing to escalate,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

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Trump is appearing to abandon hopes that Beijing could deal with its hermit neighbor.

“Our foolish past leaders have allowed them to make hundreds of billions of dollars a year in trade, yet..,” tweeted the desperate US president. “They do NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk. We will no longer allow this to continue. China could easily solve this problem!”

Earlier on Sunday, a ballistic missile was fired by a US Air Force plane and intercepted over the Pacific by a THAAD system in Kodiak, Alaska, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said, describing the test as "successful."

North Korea regards the US as its arch enemy since Washington has adopted a war-like posture vis-à-vis Pyongyang and has permanent military presence in the region.

North Korea sees its missile and nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against a potential US aggression.

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