U.S. B-52 flies near DMZ as warning after N. Korean nuclear test

North Korea’s recent testing of a hydrogen bomb last week prompted the White House to fly a B-52 bomber over South Korea on Sunday in a show of force.

The bomber -- which is equipped to deliver a nuclear payload -- performed a low-level flight near the demilitarized zone between the two countries in the vicinity of Osan, South Korea.

The B-52 flew out of Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and was escorted by a South Korean F-15 and an American F-16. It is part of the U.S. Pacific Command’s constant bomber presence in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

 North Korea's hydrogen-bomb test has yet to be confirmed as a genuine nuclear test despite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s insistence that a weapon was detonated. Still, U.S. leaders were compelled to remind Pyongyang of U.S. resolve to defend regional allies from North Korean aggression.

"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 Harris Jr., PACOM's  commander, said. "North Korea's nuclear test is a blatant violation of its international obligations. U.S. joint military forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific will continue to work with all of our regional allies and partners to maintain stability and security."