Taiwan received its first two American-made F-16V fighter jets on Friday, as part of the island's efforts to enhance its military capabilities with the aim of deterring any possible Chinese attack.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent reported that the two fighters landed at a Taiwanese Air Force base in Taitung, on the southeastern coast of the island, at noon (04:00 GMT).
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to use force to control it, and Beijing also opposes US arms sales to the island.
These two aircraft are part of an $8 billion deal that includes 66 F-16V aircraft, a deal that was approved during the first term of US President Donald Trump and was scheduled to be delivered this year.
The arrival of the two planes comes at a time when Taiwan awaits US approval of a separate arms deal worth $14 billion.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung threatened on Friday to take unspecified measures against Ukraine unless Kiev recognizes what Seoul describes as a secret agreement related to the transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers, and offers an apology.
Lee said in a post on “X”: “If the refusal to acknowledge the facts and make a public apology continues, we will take additional measures,” according to what was reported by the “Reuters” news agency.
Lee also expressed his "deep regret" over what he described as Ukrainian statements about an imminent military clash between the two Koreas, saying they amounted to incitement to war on the Korean Peninsula.
Seoul and Kiev have been locked in a diplomatic dispute since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced at the United Nations General Assembly last month that his country had transferred to South Korea two North Korean prisoners of war while they were fighting alongside Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea later accused Kiev of violating an agreement to keep the transfer secret to protect the two soldiers, while Ukrainian officials denied the existence of such an agreement.
Yesterday, Thursday, Ukrainian media quoted Foreign Minister Andriy Sipha as saying that Kiev is seeking to repair its relations with South Korea.
“I would not describe this as an accident,” Sibha told reporters during an event. "Let's say it's a diplomatic misunderstanding."
This dispute comes at a sensitive time for the Lee administration, which is seeking to ease tensions with North Korea, as it deals with the political repercussions resulting from a recent landmine incident in the demilitarized zone.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called on North Korea on Thursday to contribute to restoring confidence and resuming dialogue, a day after Seoul and Pyongyang exchanged sharp criticism over a landmine incident that the Seoul army and the United Nations leadership described as a violation of the armistice agreement.
“I hope that North Korea will join us now on the path to restoring confidence and resuming dialogue, after a long break,” Lee said in a speech he delivered on the occasion of the country’s Armed Forces Day, adding that his administration “will continually seek to take practical measures to reduce military tension between the two Koreas.”
The South Korean army and the United Nations Command had said that the northern neighbor violated the armistice agreement following a landmine explosion last week that injured three South Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korea's leader, rejected these results in a statement yesterday, Wednesday, and accused Seoul of falsifying the results and warned of a response.
Lee's government has sought to reopen dialogue with North Korea, but Pyongyang has largely rejected Seoul's overtures and continued to press ahead with border fortification activities along the demilitarized zone.
