A US aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea on Sunday in a show of force, days after North Korea test-launched cruise missiles to demonstrate its counter-attack capabilities.
Advertisement
The arrival of the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group at the South Korean port of Busan was meant to display a solid US-South Korean military alliance in the face of persistent North Korean threats, and boost interoperability of the allies’ combined assets, the South Korean navy said in a statement.
It said it was the first US aircraft carrier to travel to South Korea since June.
The deployment of the carrier is expected to infuriate North Korea, which views temporary deployments of such powerful US military assets as major security threats. North Korea has responded to some of the past deployments of US aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and nuclear-powered submarines with missile tests.
Since his January 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump has said he will reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again to revive diplomacy. North Korea has not directly responded to Trump’s overture but alleged US-led hostilities against North Korea have intensified since Trump’s inauguration.
Advertisement
North Korea said on Friday it test-fired strategic cruise missiles earlier last week to tell its adversaries of its military’s counter-attack capability and the readiness of its nuclear operations. After watching the launches, the North’s fourth missile testing event this year, Kim ordered his military to be fully ready to use its nuclear weapons.