Six US F-22 Raptor stealth fighters arrive in South Korea for military exercises.

On December 2nd, US F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets arrived in South Korea to participate in a joint exercise taking place next week.

The F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet of the United States. (Source: United States Air Force)

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Seoul, the South Korean Air Force announced that these six fighter jets will participate in the annual "Vigilant Ace" air exercise, which will take place from December 4-8, involving 230 aircraft and at eight military bases in South Korea and the United States.

These aircraft are capable of precisely striking targets without being detected by enemy radar. This will be the first time six F-22 stealth fighters have appeared simultaneously in the skies over South Korea.

The U.S. will also deploy F-35A and F-35B stealth fighters, F-16C fighter jets, and other aircraft, including an unspecified number of B-1B bombers.

The South Korean Air Force will deploy F-15K, KF-16, and F-15 fighter jets, as well as other aircraft, to participate in this exercise.

The South Korea-U.S. alliance plans to conduct simulated attacks on North Korean nuclear and missile targets, as well as mobile missile launchers (TELs) used to transport North Korean missiles.

The exercise took place amid renewed tensions on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea officially announced on the morning of November 29th the successful testing of its new Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, "with a range capable of covering the entire US mainland."

The statement said the Hwasong-15 missile was North Korea's most powerful missile to date, having flown 950km in 53 minutes and reached an altitude of 4,475km.

However, experts believe Pyongyang has yet to perfect the technique of re-entering missiles into the atmosphere, a key element in its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development program.

Last October, the United States and South Korea agreed to a rotational deployment of U.S. strategic weapons to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

For a long time, Pyongyang has viewed military exercises by Seoul and Washington as a dress rehearsal for an invasion, while both countries claim their actions are purely defensive.

According to Vietnam+