In Show of Alliance, American Forces Fly B-52 Bomber Over South Korea
By CHOE SANG-HUN

SEOUL, South Korea — The United States flew a nuclear-capable B-52 long-distance bomber over South Korea on Sunday in a show of force after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test.

The bomber, taking off from the United States Air Force base in Guam, arrived over Osan Air Base south of Seoul, the South Korean capital, on Sunday to conduct training missions together with American and South Korean warplanes, both countries’ militaries announced. The bomber returned to Guam after the exercise.

“This was a demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the American homeland,” Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of the United States Pacific Command, said in a statement. “North Korea’s nuclear test is a blatant violation of its international obligations.”

Washington has often dispatched B-52 and B-2 bombers to South Korea over the years. It usually does not publicize their training missions, but such flyovers by nuclear-capable bombers have always drawn harsh criticism from North Korea.

But during military standoffs, as when North Korea raised tensions in early 2013 after its third nuclear test, both Seoul and Washington have made the unusual gesture of announcing their missions to demonstrate the American resolve toward defending South Korea and to help calm jitters there.

North Korea conducted its fourth underground nuclear test on Wednesday. The country said the device it detonated in the test was a hydrogen bomb, although the claim was received with widespread skepticism. Analysts and officials in the region have said that North Korea may be bluffing or may have detonated a hybrid atomic bomb that it has been suspected of developing. The test on Wednesday is said to have produced an explosion too small to be called that of an H-bomb.

But North Korea’s defiant nuclear test, which took place despite warnings and increasingly tightened sanctions, has rattled the region.

Earlier on Sunday, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that its leader, Kim Jong-un, visited the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces and ordered it to increase military readiness. He called the nuclear test a “self-defensive” measure his country had to take in the face of American nuclear threats.

“It is the legitimate right of a sovereign state and a fair action that nobody can criticize,” Mr. Kim was reported as saying. His comments came as world powers sought to punish his impoverished, already heavily sanctioned country with a new round of tougher penalties. On Friday, South Korea resumed propaganda broadcasts on loudspeakers on the border, blaring pop music and criticism of Mr. Kim into his isolated country.

Over the weekend, North Korea mobilized a large crowd in Pyongyang, the capital, to celebrate what it called its “H-bomb of justice.” Speaking at the rally, a top North Korean ruling party official said that the South Korean propaganda broadcasts were pushing the Korean Peninsula “toward the brink of war.” The official added that the South was “jealous” of the North’s successful hydrogen bomb test.

Brinkmanship and tough talk have been North Korea’s favorite card in dealing with its external foes. Officials in South Korea also suspected that Mr. Kim was using his latest nuclear test to glorify his rule and may further raise tensions to consolidate loyalty at home.

威嚇北韓 美B-52轟炸機飛越南韓

美軍表示，美軍一架長程轟炸機10日低空飛越南韓上空，目的是展示力量。北韓6日不顧國際制裁，宣布首次成功試爆氫彈，導致南北韓之間冷戰式的對立狀態惡化，美國顯然有意藉此向北韓示威。

美軍的轟炸機是有搭載核武能力的B-52同溫層堡壘轟炸機，軍機短暫飛越兩韓交界南方約72公里的南韓烏山空軍基地，在基地上空盤旋一圈後返回關島基地。與轟炸機一起在空中的，尚有南韓的F-15戰機以及美國的F-16戰機。

美聯社報導，有核武能力的轟炸機飛越南韓基地，北韓定會將此解讀為威脅。美國任何暗示核武能力的舉動都會觸怒北韓。

美國太平洋司令部司令哈里斯說：「這是為展示美國對盟國南韓、日本的堅定承諾，以及美國捍衛本土的決心。北韓的核試爆是公然違反其國際責任的行為。」2013年，北韓進行第三次核試爆時，美軍也曾派遣B-52轟炸機飛越南韓上空。

北韓領袖金正恩10日造訪人民武力部並發表談話，慶祝北韓首次成功試爆氫彈。金正恩在演說中，再次捍衛北韓的行動，指出試爆是針對美國和帝國主義者核戰爭威脅的「自衛措施」，「任何人都不能指責一個主權國的這項合法權利」。這是北韓氫彈試爆後，金正恩首次就此發表公開言論。金正恩顯然想藉訪問人民武力部，鼓舞民族驕傲，完遂國內政治目的。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/11/world/asia/south-korea-us-flies-b-52-bomber.html

紐約時報中文版翻譯：
http://cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/20160111/c11korea/zh-hant/

2016-01-11．聯合報．A13．國際．編譯王麗娟