US Sends Stealth Bombers to South Korea

They drop inert munitions as part of drills
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 28, 2013 4:34 AM CDT
Updated Mar 28, 2013 7:48 AM CDT
Border Crossing Kept Open as N. Korea Cuts Hotlines
U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber flies over near Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 28, 2013.   (AP Photo/Shin Young-keun, Yonhap)

The US sent B-2 stealth bombers—which can carry nuclear weapons—from Missouri to South Korea for military drills, Washington said today. Following the drills, which involved them dropping inert munitions, they returned home, CNN reports. The move "demonstrates the United States' ability to conduct long range, precision strikes quickly and at will," the military says. The AP calls the announcement an "unprecedented step," and notes that while it will likely anger the North, it sees signs that Pyongyang is willing to go only so far.

Among them: An industrial park used by North and South Korea on the north side of the border is still open, even after the North cut its hotline there yesterday to the South. Some 200 South Koreans entered the Kaesong Industrial Complex today along with 166 vehicles carrying oil and other supplies, Reuters reports, and US dollars are still being accepted. The complex offers the North a rare link to foreign cash, generating some $2 billion in yearly trade. (More North Korea stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X