US, South Korea unleash air power: Is it a deterrent against North Korea's missiles?

South Korea and the United States flew warplanes including stealth fighter jets took off over waters around the Korean peninsula Tuesday in a fresh show of force following recent missile tests by the North, Seoul said.

Sixteen South Korean warplanes, including F-35 stealth fighters and four US F-16 jets, formed an attack squadron over the West Sea -- also known as the Yellow Sea -- to "respond to the enemy threat".

The air manoeuvres, which involved some 20 warplanes, come a day after the allies fired eight ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan in the wake of Pyongyang's Sunday weapons tests.

On Sunday, North Korea fired eight short range ballistic missiles from four different locations in the space of 30 minutes -- one of its largest-ever tests, analysts said.

The nuclear-armed country has carried out a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.

US and South Korean officials have been warning for weeks.

 The exercise involved 16 South Korean fighter jets — including the F-35A, F-15K, and KF-16 — and four F-16 fighters from the US Air Force.

Tuesday's air manoeuvres are the third such joint show of force by the allies under South Korea's hawkish new President Yoon Suk-yeol who has vowed a tougher stance against Pyongyang.

The latest air excercise come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his will rapidly accelerate the development of its nuclear arsenal.

Despite biting sanctions, North Korea has doubled down on Kim's military modernisation drive, test-firing a slew of banned weapons this year while ignoring US offers of talks -- as analysts warn of a likely resumption of nuclear tests.

North Korea had paused long-range and nuclear tests while Kim met then-US president Donald Trump for a bout of doomed diplomacy, which collapsed in 2019.

Last month Pyongyang test-fired an ICBM at full range for the first time since 2017, and satellite imagery shows signs of activity at a nuclear testing site, which was purportedly demolished in 2018 ahead of the first Trump-Kim summit.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington was still "open to engaging in diplomacy and dialogue" on ending the North's nuclear programme.

Kim's messaging on the purpose of his nuclear weapons could be a response to South Korea's new hawkish, conservative President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office May 10, analysts said.

Columns of goose-stepping soldiers waving flags and carrying weapons marched through a floodlit square, KCTV footage showed, with North Korea's famous news anchor Ri Chun Hi announcing each unit.

Flanked by his generals, Kim smiled, waved and saluted the troops, North Korean jets in formation flew low, and then huge missiles -- from short-range ballistic to hypersonic -- on transporters were driven through the square.

Last month, Seoul and Washington carried out combined launches after Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles -- including a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile -- in their first such joint move since 2017.

Pyongyang has doubled down on upgrading its weapons programme, despite facing crippling economic sanctions, with officials and analysts warning that the regime is preparing to carry out a fresh nuclear test.

North Korea has carried out a blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range.