Report: US Weighs Permanent Deployment of F-35 Jets to South Korea

The US military is reportedly considering the permanent deployment of its advanced F-35 fighter jets to South Korea amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The radar-evading aircraft have previously been deployed to the country, but only in support of joint training exercises.

According to a source cited by Yonhap News Agency, the jets would be stationed at Kunsan Air Base, home to the US Air Force’s 8th Fighter Wing.

“It [US military] will first deploy one squadron, and there is a possibility of rotationally deploying another squadron,” the source noted, referring to a unit of 20 F-35s.

If finalized, the move would complement the older F-16 fighter jets already permanently stationed in South Korea.

North Korea’s Expected Response

The potential permanent deployment of F-35 fighter jets is likely to provoke anger from North Korea, which has consistently condemned the introduction of key US military assets to the South.

Just last month, Pyongyang denounced Washington’s “political and military provocations” following the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to Busan.

It also labeled joint US-South Korean military drills as “hostile war exercises,” warning they could “adversely affect relations” between the two Koreas.

F-16 Presence in South Korea

The US maintains a permanent presence of F-16 fighter jets in South Korea to bolster its ally’s defense posture against regional threats.

Last year, Washington announced the relocation of nine F-16s from Kunsan Air Base to Osan Air Base to form a “Super Squadron” of 31 combat jets.

Another F-16 Super Squadron is scheduled to be established at Osan Air Base in October, which will bring the total number of F-16s at the base to 62.

Despite the strong presence, the General Dynamics-manufactured jets have been involved in several incidents in South Korea, including an accident in March when a pair of F-16s mistakenly dropped bombs on a civilian area during a live-fire exercise.