A US B-1B heavy bomber flies over Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, for the Armed Forces Day ceremony on Oct. 1, 2024. (Yonhap)

Two US B-1B heavy bombers conducted a joint drill with the South Korean Air Force on Oct. 1 Armed Forces Day, before one of them participated in a national ceremony, the US Indo-Pacific Command said Saturday.

In a show of force, a US B-1B bomber flew over Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of the capital, alongside two F-15K jets during the ceremony marking Armed Forces Day, demonstrating the US security commitment to South Korea.

According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, two US B-1B bombers conducted a simulated close air support exercise with two F-15K jets from the South Korean Air Force at the Pilsung Range in Gangwon Province on the morning of Oct. 1, before one of the bombers and the jets flew to Seongnam for the ceremony.

It marked the first time in four months that a B-1B bomber visited South Korea following a joint exercise conducted on June 5.

The Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise helped maintain the defense posture of both nations' air forces by enhancing joint operability between US bombers and South Korean fighter jets.