US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea for joint exercises

The announcement came a day after South Korea summoned Russia's ambassador to Seoul to protest a defense agreement signed between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang this week, which includes a commitment to come to each other's aid if attacked.

The US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt is anchored in Busan (South Korea) on June 22 - Photo: The Economic Times

“The US Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt… arrived at Busan Naval Base on the morning of June 22,” the South Korean Navy said in a statement. The ship’s arrival “demonstrates the strong combined defense posture of the South Korea-US alliance,” the South Korean Navy said in a statement.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt’s visit comes about seven months after another US aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, arrived in South Korea in a show of force against Pyongyang. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is scheduled to participate in joint exercises with South Korea and Japan this month.

Pyongyang has long viewed such joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion. The United States, South Korea and Japan have expanded their joint exercises and increased the presence of US strategic military assets in the region.

The aircraft carrier arrived a day after Seoul said it fired warning shots when North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border. North Korean soldiers have recently laid more mines, reinforced tactical routes and built anti-tank barriers near the border, according to the South Korean military.

North and South Korea are also locked in a tit-for-tat "balloon war", with a South Korean activist confirming on Friday that he had launched more propaganda balloons towards North Korea.

Quang Anh (according to Reuters, CNA, Economic Times)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tau-san-bay-my-toi-han-quoc-tham-gia-tap-tran-chung-post300381.html