SEOUL (Dispatches) -- South Korean and U.S. air forces began two weeks of combined air drills on Monday at Kunsan Air Base, a semiannual exercise Seoul and Washington call “Freedom Flag,” deploying a heavy array of fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft and unmanned platforms in a show of force that critics say only deepens military tension on the Korean peninsula.
Yonhap reported that the exercise, running from October 26 to November 6 at the base in Gunsan, some 180 kilometers southwest of Seoul, involves the South Korean Air Force’s F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A fighter jets, alongside KC-330 transport aircraft and E-737 Peace Eye early warning and control aircraft. 
The U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, RC-135 reconnaissance plane and Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, as well as the Marine Corps’ F-35B stealth fighter and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned surveillance aircraft, are also taking part. The drills were launched in 2024 and are held twice a year.
The exercise comes as cross-border tensions have escalated sharply. Pyongyang’s permanent representative to the United Nations wrote to the Security Council on Sunday accusing Seoul of fabricating a landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers, according to the Korean Central News Agency. 
The envoy described South Korea’s claims over the September 21 blast in the Demilitarized Zone as a “sinister obstructive move to brand [the North] as a ‘military invasion’” and a “farce to evade the responsibility for the ever-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula”.
The letter warned that violations of the country’s sovereignty could trigger self-defense measures, and described North Korea’s border fortification efforts as “a legitimate and just exercise of its sovereignty going in strict conformity with the UN Charter,” while criticizing South Korea for firing warning shots at soldiers in the DMZ. 
The dispute has hardened positions on both sides, with each accusing the other of escalating tensions through military posturing and unverified claims.