US set to deploy B-52 bombers for joint drills with South Korea

The United States is set to deploy B-52 bombers to South Korea on November 15 for joint air drills with its Asian ally, sources said, in the latest show of force against North Korea.

South Korean fighter jets will escort the nuclear-capable bombers when they fly over South Korea later in the day, sources with knowledge of the issue said, Yonhap reports.

The bombers are returning to the country after less than a month, following a B-52H's first-ever landing in South Korea on Oct. 17.

It will mark the allies' seventh joint drills this year involving the nuclear-capable bombers, one of the key U.S. strategic assets.

The frequent deployments of high-profile military assets this year are seen as part of US efforts to bolster its security commitment to South Korea amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

During annual bilateral security talks on November 13, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hailed the B-52's first landing in South Korea as "a milestone" for the U.S. deterrence efforts and unveiled there will be "another carrier battle group that comes soon."

According to the sources, the USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is expected to dock at the Busan naval base early next week.