US holds military exercises in Yellow Sea amid signs N. Korea is prepping missile test

The U.S. military conducted an aircraft carrier-led exercise in the Yellow Sea and intensified air defense artillery drills at a base in South Korea in response to increased missile tests from North Korea, U.S. forces said Tuesday. 

“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has significantly increased the pace and scale of ballistic missile launches since September 2021,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) said in a statement. “The United States strongly condemns these launches,” which include intercontinental ballistic missile tests on Feb. 27 and March 5. 

In response, Indopacom conducted an air demonstration in international airspace over the Yellow Sea, mobilizing fighter jets from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier along with other regionally based Air Force aircraft. 

At the Osan Air Base, in South Korea, the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade “increased the intensity of their certification exercise” to demonstrate its capabilities and commitment to defend the peninsula “against any threat or adversary,” according to a statement from U.S. Forces Korea (USFK). 

“DPRK’s significant increase in its missile testing activity undermines peace, security and destabilizes the Northeast Asia region,” USFK said.

“While this type of training is routinely conducted by U.S. Patriot batteries across [South Korea], its increased intensity of its certification underscores the seriousness USFK takes against the DPRK’s recent missile launch behavior,” the statement added. 

North Korea made waves last month when it tested a relatively new intercontinental ballistic missile system, a move the Biden administration called a “serious escalation” by Pyongyang.   

Indopacom said the recent missile launches were “a brazen violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions”  as well as its “international commitments” that threaten nearby countries and the world. 

North Korea last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in 2017, which was followed by a self-imposed halt on long-range missile and nuclear testing. 

Pyongyang insisted the new launches were held to prepare for a satellite launch, but there is speculation the isolated nation could test the missile at full range as soon as this week. That move would break the four-year hiatus from such demonstrations, Reuters reported.