Wonju Air Base, South Korea. (August 21, 2022): In this photo by South Korean Air Force Master Sergeant Hyung Kwon, a Republic of Korea KA-1 Woongbi, a locally built flight trainer, flies alongside two U.S. A-10 Thunderbolts assigned to the American 25th Fighter Squadron participating in Buddy Squadron 22 exercises held here recently. The Republic of Korea Air Force trains with American pilots regularly to develop trust, introduce new tactics, and improve readiness.

Wonju Air Base, South Korea. (August 21, 2022): Japan and North Korea, traditional enemies, continue to face off in the South China Sea in a hair-trigger conflict that could endanger the entire world. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, in defiance of the international community, continues to develop and test nuclear weapons many of which he has test fired at Japan.

The provocations have been many.

Since 2017, North Korea has shown a willingness to test its high-powered missiles by firing them into Japanese waters, rattling nerves from Tokyo to Washington. One such missile flew over the Japanese city of Hokkaido, home to thousands of American Marines, and another in September landed within 200 nautical miles of northwestern Japan. Despite international sanctions, North Korea continues to present a real and imminent threat to free nations in the Indo-Pacific that must be countered by allied firepower.

That is why America stations over 30,000 combat troops in South Korea and maintains massive naval and air forces on the peninsula should war erupt. Pictured above is an example of U.S.-South Korea cooperation in the air as America’s 25th Fighter Squadron pilots train with their South Korean comrades to respond to any aggression committed by North Korea.

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