US sends supersonic bombers in show of force against N Korea

According to its investigation, the drone was flown on May 2 from Kumgang County, a small village located about seven kilometers north of the two Koreas' border, and has travelled about 490 kilometers until it crashed on a mountain near Injae, Gangwon Province of South Korea, where the device was found on June 13.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday had a phone conversation with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Two U.S. supersonic bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula while a guided-missile destroyer visited a southern island Tuesday in the latest shows of force against a defiant North Korea.

"We strongly condemn the North's continued attempts at penetrating the South with drones and once again, demand all acts of provocation are halted", he said during the briefing. "We are doing our utmost to field extensive radar and other air-defence assets", said defence ministry's spokesman Moon Sang-kyun.

"The aircraft proceeded to fly for a total of five hours and thirty minutes and its assessed flight path matched the evidence seen in the photographs taken by it", said Moon.

The drone flew for around 5 1/2 hours, taking more than 550 photos, including those of the site for the USA missile interceptor system, called THAAD, in Seongju, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, added the ministry.

"The joint training, organized under Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence program (CBP), allows the Air Force and Navy to increase interoperability by refining joint tactics, techniques and procedures while simultaneously strengthening their ability to seamlessly integrate their operations", US Pacific Air Forces said of the mission to South China Sea.

The powerful United States anti-missile system was installed this year to guard against growing missile threats from the nuclear-armed North.