Why the US had to withdraw B-52 aircraft from joint exercises with South Korea

A B-52 takes off from a base in Oklahoma in 2014. Photo:Wiki

According to the original plan, this exercise had the participation of 100 aircraft including F-22 fighters, F-15K F-16s and B-52 bombers.

Moon Chung-in, special security adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said the decision was made in an emergency meeting between South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo and General Vincent Brooks, commander of US forces in the country. The two sides met for about 40 minutes to discuss Pyongyang's abrupt cancellation of a high-level meeting with Seoul in protest at the drills.

North Korea has long been angered by joint US-South Korea military exercises, which it sees as a rehearsal for an invasion. Pyongyang has also threatened to cancel the summit with the US, but the White House has held out hope that the meeting will still go ahead.