US stealth jets fly over S. Korea amid N. Korea standoff

[webfact]

US stealth jets fly over S. Korea amid N. Korea standoff
By LEE JIN-MAN

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea (AP) — Four U.S. F-22 stealth fighters flew low over South Korea on Wednesday in a clear show of force against North Korea, a day after South Korea's president warned of the North's collapse amid a festering standoff over its nuclear and missile ambitions.

The high-tech planes capable of sneaking past radar undetected were seen by an Associated Press photographer before they landed at Osan Air Base near Seoul. They were escorted by other U.S. and South Korean fighter jets.

Pyongyang will likely view the arrival of the planes flown from a U.S. base in Japan as a threat as they are an apparent display of U.S. airpower aimed at showing what the United States can do to defend its ally South Korea from potential aggression from North Korea.

"The F-22 'Raptor' is the most capable air superiority fighter in the world, and it represents one of many capabilities available for the defense of this great nation," Lt. Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, deputy commander of the U.S. military command in South Korea, said in a statement.

"The U.S. maintains an ironclad commitment" to the defense of South Korea, he said.

The U.S. military would not say how long the F-22s will be deployed in South Korea.

The United States often sends powerful warplanes to South Korea in times of tension with North Korea. Last month it sent a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber to South Korea after North Korea defiantly conducted its fourth nuclear test.

The international standoff over North Korea deepened earlier this month when Pyongyang ignored repeated warnings by regional powers and fired a long-range rocket carrying what it calls an Earth observation satellite. Washington, Seoul and others consider the launch a prohibited test of missile technology.

Foreign analysts say the North's rocket launch and nuclear test put the country further along it its quest for a nuclear-armed missile that could reach the U.S. mainland.

South Korea's president on Tuesday warned North Korea faces collapse if it doesn't abandon its nuclear bomb program, an unusually strong broadside that is certain to infuriate Pyongyang.

In a speech at parliament, President Park Geun-hye said South Korea will take unspecified "stronger and more effective" measures to make North Korea realize its nuclear ambitions will result only in accelerating its "regime collapse."

Park made the speech while defending her government's decision to shut down a jointly run factory park in North Korea in response to the North's rocket launch. Pyongyang retaliated by expelling all the South Koreans there, put its military in charge of the area and cut off key communication hotlines between the Koreas.

It is unusual for a top South Korean official to publicly touch on such a government collapse because of worries about how sensitive North Korea is to talk of its authoritarian government losing power. Pyongyang has long accused Washington and Seoul agitating for its collapse.

After the rocket launch, Seoul announced that talks would begin with Washington on deploying a sophisticated U.S. missile defense system in South Korea and that the allies' annual military drills in the spring will be the biggest ever.

The deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, is opposed by North Korea, China and Russia. Opponents say the system could help U.S. radar spot missiles in other countries.

Pyongyang has also called regular U.S.-South Korea military exercises a rehearsal for a northward invasion. The allies say their drills are defensive in nature.
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Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this report from Seoul.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-02-17

[neverdie]

They do it because they care !

[craigt3365]

They do it because they care !

Or perhaps because of the recent rocket launches by the north?

[mamypoko]

When you care to send the very best

[BuaBS]

If Kimmy is smart , he'd already have a secret retaliating nuke in Seoul , just in case the "stealth's " do more than a fly over.

[neverdie]

They do it because they care !

Or perhaps because of the recent rocket launches by the north?

No doubt young man, although I suspect they'd also do it for a lot less.

Chaos is about to rein, me thinks.

[neverdie]

When you care to send the very best

Wouldn't it be great if we could send all our Political leaders to one location where they could compete 'hunger games' style.

Imagine how brave little fat boy or nancyboy Obama would be if the had to knuckle it out our lift weights with their nut sacks.

A good commander always stands as an example to his subordinates.

[The Deerhunter]

They do it because they care !

Or perhaps because of the recent rocket launches by the north?

No doubt young man, although I suspect they'd also do it for a lot less.

Chaos is about to rein, me thinks.

Might be interesting if those same F22 Raptors were to fly low and slow over a certain new Island in the South China sea. That would definitely be putting the pigeons in with the cats to twist a metaphor just a bit. Or the raptors among the tigers, if you like.

[craigt3365]

They do it because they care !

Or perhaps because of the recent rocket launches by the north?

No doubt young man, although I suspect they'd also do it for a lot less.

Chaos is about to rein, me thinks.

North Korea does this as it's the only way they can hold onto power. Repress the people and make them think the rest of the world is the bogey man. Right now, I doubt the US has any appetite for war. The economy is too fragile and too in debt. The US would prosper more if the global economy started to strengthen. Music to the ears of the big guys behind the politicians.

[godden]

should i start digging a hole !!!

[neverdie]

They do it because they care !

Or perhaps because of the recent rocket launches by the north?

No doubt young man, although I suspect they'd also do it for a lot less.

Chaos is about to rein, me thinks.

North Korea does this as it's the only way they can hold onto power. Repress the people and make them think the rest of the world is the bogey man. Right now, I doubt the US has any appetite for war. The economy is too fragile and too in debt. The US would prosper more if the global economy started to strengthen. Music to the ears of the big guys behind the politicians.

I am sure you are right about the debt issue but I don't think there's going to be a sudden global economy strengthing as the system is so badly broken, it's not possible to recover unless there's a complete RESET.

What I also suspect is that any such reset will set various parts of the world to war.

Away from America for a moment, let's be realistic, the leader of NK is sick in the head, a dangerous individual in charge of a very vulnerable nation. There's no winners in NK.

[neverdie]

should i start digging a hole !!!

If you are planning to bury the fat Mr Kim, you better dig a big hole.

[neverdie]

They do it because they care !

Or perhaps because of the recent rocket launches by the north?

No doubt young man, although I suspect they'd also do it for a lot less.

Chaos is about to rein, me thinks.

Might be interesting if those same F22 Raptors were to fly low and slow over a certain new Island in the South China sea. That would definitely be putting the pigeons in with the cats to twist a metaphor just a bit. Or the raptors among the tigers, if you like.

Could get very ugly indeed.

I believe the world has sent their message to the Chinese, only problem being is the Chinese don't give a shiiiit.

So who's turn is it to move the next chess piece ?

[connda]

They should fly a few F-35s over NK. They be worried beyond belief that they might get hit by them falling out of the sky.

[Publicus]

President Park and her people are really giving it to Kim Jong Fat and his lemmings unlike any previous South Korean government, speaking openly of collapse. Telling tyrant dictators they're going to be gone sooner or later is the most infurating thing they can hear. Kim sends people to the wild dogs for less than that.

Pres. Park does of course have the full support of the United States and the region. Japan is just as nervous as S Korea about Kim and his missiles and nuclear bombs, to the point the US Navy 7th Fleet keeps an Aegis missile cruiser in the East Sea between Japan and Kim's regime 24/7.

The F-22 stealth fighter with its range of 2,177 km is nuclear capable for bombs and missiles. The four of 'em were accompanied in their flyover by four S Korean F-15K fighters and four USAF F-16 Fighting Falcons, the same kind Turkey has that shot the Russian Su-24 fighter-bomber out of the sky Mr. Kim.

[CoreanoOzzie]

Lt. Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy is a good man. South Korea is indeed a "great country".

[Norvid 1950]

Russians will probably use radioactive Polonium like with Alexander Litvinenko to end the life of the self appointed god-like psychopath marshal Kim Jong-Un and case closed.

Americans are doing................no, the not doing anything besides ..............talking.

[sead]

How tey know all this if they are stealthed