US nuclear aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea

A US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has arrived in South Korea’s largest port city to take part in joint war games amid heightened tensions and threats by North Korea to wipe out its enemies.

The carrier, which is the flagship of the USS John C. Stennis Strike Group, arrived in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, early on Sunday to join the Key Resolve military exercise.

On Saturday, US and South Korean troops staged a big amphibious landing exercise on South Korea’s east coast, storming simulated North Korean beach defenses. The drills were part of eight weeks of military maneuvers by the allies.

About 55 US marine aircraft and 30 US and South Korean ships, including the USS Bonhomme Richard and USS Boxer, took part in the assault on beaches near Pohang city, according to the US Navy.

Pyongyang condemned the assault drills, calling them “nuclear war moves” taken as preparations for an invasion.

The North’s military said it was prepared to respond “with an ultra-precision blitzkrieg strike of the Korean style.”

This year’s Key Resolve drills mark the largest of their kind as the allies step up military cooperation in the face of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

More than 300,000 South Korean and 17,000 American troops are attending the war games in a show of military power.

SS