US to keep stealth fighters in South Korea

The US military is to keep stealth fighter jets, other aircraft and troops in South Korea as a deterrent against North Korea, officials said today.

The American forces – including six F-117A radar-evading jets – have been in the South for the last month for war games organised with Seoul.

Keeping the stealth fighters in the region is likely to escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Washington has accused North Korea of having a secret nuclear weapons programme in violation of a 1994 pact.

“Extending their training time in the Korean Theatre of Operations affords an excellent opportunity to further enhance interoperability while also enhancing deterrence,” the US military said in a statement.

It said that in addition to the stealth aircraft, some F-15E fighter jets and a small Army task force would stay on.

About 37,000 US troops are already in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Thousands more soldiers, navy and air force personnel have been there for the past month for war games with the South’s military. The US forces have also included the USS Carl Vinson.

Those exercises – dubbed Eagle, Foal Eagle and RSOI – are scheduled to finish tomorrow.

The statement said more than 85% of the forces deployed to South Korea for the exercises would leave on April 4.

The announcement came as North Korea test-fired a ground-to-ship missile, Japanese defence officials said.

The missile test came just days after Japan launched two satellites into orbit that will help keep watch over North Korea’s missile and suspected nuclear arms programmes. The launch angered the communist state.