'US Reconnaissance Aircraft Rivet Joint Deploys to Korean Peninsula Immediately After North Korea Missile Provocation'

On the afternoon of the 17th, the US reconnaissance aircraft RC-135V was exposed flying over the central region of the Korean Peninsula / FlightRadar24 capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] It has been confirmed that a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft took off over the central region of the Korean Peninsula immediately after North Korea launched a ballistic missile in response to the trilateral expansion deterrence reinforcement policy of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.

According to flight tracking sites such as Flightradar24 on the 17th, the U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft RC-135V 'Rivet Joint' was detected flying from west to east over the central region in the afternoon. The sortie of the RC-135V, the U.S. Air Force's main signals intelligence reconnaissance aircraft, is analyzed as an effort to monitor North Korea's additional provocative movements.

On the same day, North Korea launched one short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) into the East Sea just 1 hour and 40 minutes after Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui publicly condemned the expansion deterrence reinforcement agreement.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated in a press release, "North Korea's ballistic missile launch today clearly demonstrates that North Korea's illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs cause instability," and added, "The United States' commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan is ironclad."