US stealth jets join war games in South Korea against North

US F-22 fighter jets have arrived in South Korea to start air combat exercises amid escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States.  

The stealthy F-22s and F-35s that roared into the sky over South Korea on Monday are among 230 American and South Korean fighters carrying out the annual Vigilant Ace 18 air combat exercises on the Korean Peninsula.

About 12,000 troops are also participating in the war games, which have angered North Korea. They are scheduled to end Friday.

North Korea on Monday warned that the "ceaseless large-scale war games" by the US and South Korea are "creating a situation that a nuclear war may break out any moment" on the Korean Peninsula.

American and North Korean officials have warned that the chances of war between the two countries are growing fast.

North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that US President Donald Trump was "begging for a nuclear war" through an "extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean Peninsula.”

Earlier that day, Trump’s National Security Adviser HR McMaster said that the chances for war on the Korean Peninsula were growing.

"I think it's increasing every day, which means that we are in a race, really, we are in a race to be able to solve this problem," McMaster said.

On Wednesday, North Korea test-launched its “most powerful” ballistic missile following a two-month lull in missile tests.

The Hwasong-15 missile flew higher than any other missiles launched by the North ever, according to North Korean state media, which also said the missile ended up landing in Japanese waters after traveling 960 kilometers and reaching the height of 4,500 kilometers.

The test triggered a UN Security Council meeting in which the US ambassador to the United Nations threatened Washington would “utterly” destroy the North Korean government if war breaks out.

Hawkish US Senator Lindsey Graham, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has also said the US could launch a pre-emptive war to contain North Korea's advancing military technology.

"I think we're really running out of time," he said.

The Republican senator also advised the Pentagon not to send any military dependents to South Korea.

"It's crazy to send spouses and children to South Korea, given the provocation of North Korea. So I want them to stop sending dependents. And I think it's now time to start moving American dependents out of South Korea," he said.

The White House has already warned the United States is ready to use its nuclear weapons against North Korea if the country continues to threaten Washington or its allies.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the production of more rocket warheads and engines.

Pyongyang says it will not give up on its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward the country and dissolves the US-led UN command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

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