Early last week, North Korea successfully tested an ICBM, their first success ever. This was responded to immediately by a few US missile launches in the area as a “show of force,” and a solid week of threats. Over the weekend, the US dropped some bombs in what is also being called a “show of force.”
The US B-1B Lancer bombers flew from Guam to a South Korean bombing range, dropping some bunker buster bombs before they left. The South Korean military said this was a “stern response” to North Korea, simulating the destruction of North Korean missile launchers.
North Korea was quick to criticize the move as a “dangerous military provocation,” saying it risked bring the possibility of a nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula to “a tipping point.” They added that any small error could start a nuclear exchange
With US officials having been nearly unanimous in the last week in bragging about how their military is “ready” for a war with North Korea at any moment, such exercises so close to the Korean DMZ are indeed risky in that regard, as North Korea may interpret such a “show of force” as actually the start of a US sneak attack, and start retaliating before the US first strike damages their capacity to respond.
