The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in the Korean port of Busan on Friday, ahead of a joint military exercise between the two countries aimed at demonstrating their strength against growing threats from North Korea.
The joint exercise is the first U.S. aircraft carrier exercise on the Korean Peninsula since 2017, when the U.S. sent three aircraft carriers to conduct naval exercises with South Korea in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, the Associated Press reported.
The two allies this year revived large-scale military exercises that had been scaled back or suspended in previous years to boost diplomacy with Pyongyang and the COVID-19 pandemic in response to North Korea’s resumption of long-range missile tests and growing nuclear threats. Conflict with Seoul and Washington
The South Korean Navy announced that these exercises are conducted with the aim of increasing the military readiness of the two countries and showing the unwavering determination of the Korean-American alliance for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
“The commitment of the USS Carrier Strike Group operating in and around the peninsula, our commitment to stand together, our willingness and our focus to ensure that if necessary to counter the Any challenge or threat shows that we are united.” The aircraft carrier task force said at a news conference.
It is also expected that the North Korean threat will be on the main agenda during the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris to South Korea next week.
The USS Ronald Reagan’s arrival in South Korea comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told Pyongyang’s parliament this month that he would give up the nuclear weapons and missiles it is using to counter what it sees as US aggression. He knows, he will not stop.
North Korea has also passed new legislation that cements the country’s status as a nuclear power and allows for the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in a wide range of scenarios in which the country or its leadership are threatened. to give
The South Korean Foreign Ministry announced that Song Kim, the US special representative for North Korean affairs, met with his South Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un in Seoul on Thursday.
The two men expressed their “grave concern” about North Korea’s escalating nuclear doctrine outlined in the new law.
Source: Lebanon Debate
