S. Korea, France hold 1st bilateral air force drills

▲ This file photo, released by the Air Force on May 12, 2023, shows a F-15K fighter jet landing at an air base in Cheongju, 112 kilometers south of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-France-air drills

S. Korea, France hold 1st bilateral air force drills

SEOUL, July 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and France kicked off their first-ever combined air force drills on the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday to strengthen their interoperability, officials here said, as Seoul is seeking to enhance international cooperation against persistent North Korean threats.

The South Korean Air Force and the French Air and Space Force began the two-day training at an air base in Gimhae, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as Seoul marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Air Force mobilized three F-15K fighter jets and two F-16 jets, while the French military brought here two Rafale combat aircraft, an A400M transport plane and an A330 multi-role tanker transport, according to Seoul officials.

The French team came here as part of the "Pegase" mission designed to deploy air assets to East and South Asia in what it calls a demonstration of the country's commitment to security in the Asia-Pacific region.

The bilateral training program includes air refueling drills and tactical discussions in the operation of fighters, transport planes and refueling tankers as well as a joint flight aimed at commemorating the sacrifices of U.N. troops killed during the Korean War.

On Tuesday, the two sides conducted the joint flight over a U.N. cemetery honoring the fallen troops in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. At the cemetery, 47 French troops are laid to rest.

The combined drills came as South Korea has been deepening security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization amid growing regional security uncertainties from the North's saber-rattling, an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry and Russia's war in Ukraine.

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