S Korea, US, Japan to hold joint air drills

South Korea, the United States, and Japan will conduct a joint aerial drill this weekend involving a US nuclear-weapons-capable B-52 bomber, according to media reports yesterday.

The trilateral exercise on Sunday will be the first of its kind conducted near the Korean peninsula, an unnamed military source told Yonhap news agency.

An official at Seoul's defence ministry declined to confirm the reports, but said the three countries were expanding joint exercises "to counter missile and nuclear threats from North Korea".

Pyongyang views all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned it would take "overwhelming" action in response. "The S Korea-US-Japan joint aerial exercise will consist of a formation flight with the US strategic bomber B-52 escorted by fighter jets of the three countries," a source said.