Anchor: South Korea and the U.S. have kicked off their largest-ever joint air force drills, prompting strong criticism from North Korea.
Alannah Hill has the details.
 
Report: The Air Forces of South Korea and the U.S. kicked off massive joint drills on Monday, mobilizing about 230 aircraft, including six U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets.
 
The annual joint drills named "Vigilant ACE" will be held on the Korean Peninsula until Friday. 
 
The exercise comes five days after North Korea launched the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM), although it was scheduled before the provocation. 

The U.S. sent six F-22 Raptors as well as six F-35A stealth jets, six EA-18G Growlers, ten F-15C fighter planes and others for the largest-ever joint air force drills.
 
It is the first time the U.S. has dispatched six F-22 Raptors to the Korean Peninsula.
 
Some Marine F-35Bs, stationed in Japan, will also take part in the training exercise.
 
The South Korean Air Force will dispatch F-15K, KF-16 and F-5 fighter jets and other planes for the exercises.
 
The two sides will focus on simulated precision airstrikes on mock North Korean nuclear and missile targets and transporter erector launchers that move missiles.
 
North Korea lashed out against the drills. A spokesman for the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement on Sunday that the war game is a grave military provocation that will bring the already volatile situation on the Korean Peninsula to a touch-and-go situation leading to a nuclear war.
 
Seoul's Unification Ministry rebuked the criticism, saying that the drills are defense exercises conducted annually. 
Alannah Hill, KBS World Radio News. 

[Photo : ]