Seoul: South Korea, the United States, and Japan conducted a joint air exercise involving at least one B-1B bomber south of the Korean Peninsula today, as reported by South Korea's military. This exercise is seen as a display of strength in response to North Korea's recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch. According to Oman News Agency, the trilateral drills took place over waters east of South Korea's southern island of Jeju. This operation follows heightened tensions after North Korea launched the new Hwasong-19 ICBM into the East Sea last Thursday, marking its first long-range ballistic missile launch this year (2024). During the exercise, fighter jets from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan escorted the U.S. heavy bomber over waters where South Korea's and Japan's air defense identification zones overlap. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that this marks the second air exercise between the three nations this year (2024), as they continue to strengthen trilateral security cooperation a gainst the evolving nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea.