Cheongju, South Korea — A U.S. B-52 strategic bomber was revealed at a South Korean airbase for the first time ever on Thursday, signaling a significant show of force against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile capabilities.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the nuclear-capable bomber was showcased to a group of reporters after landing at the Cheongju air base, located 112 kilometers south of Seoul, on Tuesday. The arrival comes amid heightened tensions resulting from North Korea's recent actions.
Maj. Rachel Buitrago, public affairs director of the U.S. 7th Air Force, indicated that the bomber's presence "is part of our demonstration to the Republic of Korea that we stand by our allies. It shows that if we are needed, we will be here."
This move is consistent with the U.S. commitment to extend its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its South Korean ally. Although B-52s have previously flown over the Korean Peninsula for joint air drills with the South Korean Air Force, this is the first known instance of such a bomber landing at a South Korean airbase.
Lt. Col. Vanessa Wilcox, commander of the 96th Bomb Squadron operating the aircraft, declined to confirm or deny the presence of a nuclear weapon on the bomber but noted that it was operationally capable.
Earlier in the day, high-ranking officials from both South Korea and the U.S. visited the airbase, including Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and U.S. Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach. Kim stressed that North Korea's efforts to advance its nuclear capabilities are "undisguised," and warned that if North Korea uses nuclear weapons, "the regime will face its end."
The B-52's landing follows a joint declaration by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this year, pledging increased "regular visibility" of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula. Since the declaration, key U.S. military assets, such as the USS Kentucky nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine and the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, have been deployed to the region.
The B-52 bomber is also expected to participate in combined air drills with South Korean and Japanese aircraft near the peninsula on Sunday, marking a first trilateral exercise of its kind, according to an unnamed source.