U.S., South Korea Scramble Fighter Jets in Show of Force to Kim

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and South Korea scrambled fighter jets in a show of force to Kim Jong Un and vowed a tough response to further provocations, hours ahead of the deadline North Korea set for a military action.

Four U.S. F-16s and four South Korean F-15Ks teamed up for a combat drill Saturday, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairmen of the two countries agreed in a phone call to respond “strongly” to any North Korean attack, Col. Jeon Ha Kyu, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said by phone.

The U.S. is “steadfast” in its commitment to South Korea and together will continue their joint annual military exercises until Aug. 28 to heighten readiness, Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear told reporters Friday in Washington. Earlier, there was a brief suspension of the exercises, which began Monday.

Read the full article at The Washington Post.