S. Korea Held Joint Air Drills With U.S. After North Tests New ICBM

South Korea's Defence Ministry announced that the country's air force held joint drills with the U.S. military involving at least one B-52H strategic bomber. This came as North Korea confirmed a test-launch of its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

• Pyongyang said this morning that it fired a new solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM on Thursday, with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un "guiding" the launch. The North Korean leader warned that the enemies of his country should face "extreme uneasiness and horror."
• South Korea and the U.S. responded by conducting a joint exercise involving at least one heavy U.S. bomber and a number of fighter jets. Yonhap News Agency notes that it is unclear in which part of the Korean Peninsula the drills took place.
• South Korea's Defence Ministry also said that as part of efforts to bolster regional security, Seoul will hold high-level security talks with Japan next week for the first time in five years.