US Air Force F-35A stealth fighters arrived in South Korea on their first publicly announced visit since 2017 as the allies and nuclear-armed North Korean engage in an escalating cycle of displays of weapons. Joint military drills had been publicly scaled back in recent years, first in 2018 because of efforts to engage diplomatically with North Korea and later because of the Covid-19 pandemic. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, has sought to increase public displays of allied military power, including exercises, to counter a record number of missile tests conducted by North Korea this year. North Korea also appears to be preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017. – Reuters
