Top South Korean, U.S. Air Force commanders vow to strengthen readiness against North's threats

The top Air Force commanders of South Korea and the United States vowed to strengthen their forces' combined readiness against possible North Korean provocations, the South's Air Force said, amid tensions from Pyongyang's recent military activities.

Chief of Staff of the Korean Air Force Gen. Lee Young-su, center, overviews a missile surveillance unit in South Jeolla on Aug. 23. [NEWS1]

The top Air Force commanders of South Korea and the United States vowed to strengthen their forces' combined readiness against possible North Korean provocations, the South's Air Force said, amid tensions from Pyongyang's recent military activities.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Young-su and his U.S. counterpart, Gen. David W. Allvin, made the pledge during their talks at Lee's office in Gyeryong, some 145 kilometers south of Seoul, after the North blew up parts of inter-Korean roads and railways Tuesday.

Cross-border tensions have heightened as the North has also launched thousands of balloons carrying trash toward South Korea and has accused the South of flying drones over Pyongyang multiple times this month.

"North Korea ... is undermining stability on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region by blowing up inter-Korean roads and railways using the drones over Pyongyang as a pretext," the two generals said, according to the Air Force.

It said the two sides pledged to strengthen the combined defense posture and coordination against North Korea with the two countries' "overwhelming" air forces in the event of an enemy provocation.

They also discussed holding regular three-way talks with their Japanese counterpart in line with a trilateral framework document on security cooperation signed in July. The three countries have recently deepened security ties in the face of evolving North Korean military threats.

Yonhap