South Korea announced on Friday it would be deploying up to 80 combat aircraft, including stealth fighters, following the discovery of 180 North Korean combat aircraft.
South Korean military headquarters said it took countermeasures after monitoring about 180 routes of North Korean warplanes between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm local time.
According to the agency, North Korean warplanes flew over various areas of the sky over the territory of the northern part of the TAL tactical line of operations, as well as the eastern and western waters of the Korean Peninsula, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported.
Yonhap said the South Korean Air Force “deployed about 80 different combat aircraft, including the F-35A Stealth.”
The 240 combat aircraft participating in the joint exercise “Vigilat Stum” between Korean and US forces maintained a state of alert with their participation in the planned exercise.
The authorities said the army is closely monitoring the movements of the North Korean army and the development of the situation in close cooperation with US forces, while maintaining a state of strict alert in preparation for possible additional provocations from North Korea.
