The US, South Korea, and Japan conducted joint military exercises over and near the Korean Peninsula on Monday in a show of force to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Six American jets – two bombers and four fighters – flew alongside four South Korean and four Japanese fighter jets in the mission, US Pacific Command said.

US and South Korean jets also flew near the Military Demarcation Line, an artificial border constructed in 1953 to separate the two Koreas, The Korea Herald reported.

The joint exercises come as North Korea continues to demonstrate its own military capabilities, and it coincides with the first day of the United Nations General Assembly, where North Korea is expected to dominate discussion.

Take a look at the photos below, provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, to learn more about the military exercises.


The US and South Korea held military drills over the Korean Peninsula, while the US and Japan flew near the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu.

Foto: source South Korea Defense Ministry via AP

The US sent four F-35B Lightning II fighter jets and B-1B Lancer bombers, while South Korea sent four F-15K fighters and Japan sent four F-2 fighters, the military said.


US and South Korean jets flew near the Military Demarcation Line, which separates the two Koreas.

Foto: source South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty

The MDL, also known as the "38th parallel" for its latitudinal coordinates, is flanked by a demilitarised zone on either side.


Officials did not give a precise location for the exercise — but the images appear to show the squadron above South Korea's east coast, some 20 miles from the border.

Foto: source Getty/Google Maps

They also dropped inert bombs onto a mock target near the Pilsung Firing Range in Gangwon-do, a mountainous region near the North Korean border.

Foto: source South Korea Defense Ministry via Getty

Here are four US F-35B fighters dropping GBU-32 bombs onto Pilsung.

Foto: source South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty

And one of the US's two B-1B bombers dropping an MK-84 bomb onto the range.

Foto: source South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty

The two B-1Bs flew from the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, at which Kim Jong Un threatened to launch missiles in early August. The four F-35s flew from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southern Japan.


And here are South Korea's F-15K fighters dropping MK-82 bombs over the same area.

Foto: source South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty

The US F-35Bs and B-1Bs dropped six bombs altogether, according to The Korea Herald, which didn't say how many South Korea dropped.

Foto: source South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty

The three countries have conducted similar military drills over Korea before, and the US says it can return "at a moment’s notice."

Foto: source South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty

"U.S. Pacific Command maintains the ability to respond to any threat in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater at a moment's notice," Captain Cassandra Gesecki wrote on Monday.

Britain could also join the US in its fight against North Korea, though it's not legally obligated to do so.