Seoul (Yonhap) -- Twelve North Korean military aircraft flew in formation and presumably conducted a firing exercise Thursday, Seoul officials said, in apparent protest over recent military drills between Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States.


The group of eight fighter jets and four bombers staged the formation flight north of the inter-Korean air boundary at around 2 p.m., and they were thought to have conducted air-to-surface firing drills, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).


Some 30 Republic of Korea (ROK)n fighter jets were immediately deployed to the area in an "overwhelming" response to the flight, which is a move unseen over the past year, the JCS said.


The North's activities came after Seoul and Washington have recently conducted air, ground and naval drills in response to a series of North Korean missile launches.

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