North Korea: 3 US aircraft carriers creating 'worst ever' situation
Story highlights
- US aircraft carriers finishing up exercises with Japanese, South Korean warships
- North Korea warns UN chief that US is pushing region closer to nuclear war
Hong Kong (CNN)The
presence of three US aircraft carriers off the Korean Peninsula is
pushing the region closer to nuclear war, according to a North Korean
letter to the UN secretary-general.
The
three carriers, the USS Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz,
and their multiship strike groups are finishing up four days of
exercises Tuesday in the waters between South Korea and Japan.
It
is the first time three of the 100,000-ton behemoths have sailed
together in the Western Pacific in a decade. South Korean and Japanese
warships have joined them during the exercise.
B-1B bombers and F/A-18 strike fighters fly over a Japanese carrier and the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
The
exercises, which also have involved US B-1 bombers, help to constitute
"the worst ever situation prevailing in and around the Korean
Peninsula," Ja Song Nam, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations,
said in a letter Monday to the secretary-general.
The USS Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz and their strike groups conduct operations.
Washington
"is now running amok for war exercises by introducing nuclear war
equipment in and around the Korean Peninsula, thereby proving that the
US itself is the major offender of the escalation of tension and
undermining of the peace," the letter read.
The exercises show North Korea is right to build up its defenses, the letter said.
Three US carriers have not operated together in the Pacific in a decade.
From
the US standpoint, the presence of the three-carrier flotilla in
Pacific waters is seen as a signal to North Korea that the United States
will not be intimidated by Pyongyang's testing of nuclear weapons and
ballistic missiles.
Trump on North Korea: What he said on his Asia trip 01:39
"We
sent three of the largest aircraft carriers in the world (to the Korean
Peninsula), and a nuclear submarine is also positioned," President
Donald Trump said after his arrival last week in South Korea.
During his trip, Trump struck a tough tone on North Korea, calling for an end to its nuclear program and saying "we hope to God we never have to use" the military strength the United States has on the Korean Peninsula.
"This
exercise in the Western Pacific is a strong testament to the US Pacific
Fleet's unique ability and ironclad commitment to the continued
security and stability of the region," Adm. Scott Swift, the commander
of the US Pacific Fleet, said in a statement.
Three F/A-18E Super Hornets lead a flotilla of US and South Korea ships in exercises Sunday.
But Pyongyang sees any US military exercises as a threat.
The
state-run Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that the presence of
the three carriers was part of Washington's "sinister intention to
maintain military hegemony in the region."
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan.
KCNA
also cited other recent US military moves, such as the first deployment
of stealthy US Air Force F-35 fighters to Okinawa, as signs Washington
is ramping up for war against North Korea.
Pyongyang
accused the United States and its allies, including Japan, of trying to
"escalate the military tension and increase arms race in the region
with each passing day."
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
North
Korean government officials told CNN's Will Ripley in Pyongyang last
week that the United States was increasingly taking action that could
"ignite another Korean War."
"Nobody
knows when and how the 'war maniac' Trump will ignite the 'wick of
war,' " the officials said, referring to the presence of the carriers
near the peninsula.
A South Korean
Defense Ministry official said the three US carriers held drills on
either side of the waters separating the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Exercises closest to the Korean coast involved US and South Korean
ships, while those closest to Japan involved US and Japanese ships, the
official said.
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Ise sails alongside the USS Nimitz.
Joining
the three US carriers and their strike groups were three Japanese
Maritime Self-Defense Force warships including the helicopter destroyer
JS Ise, a guided-missile destroyer and general purpose destroyer.
N Korea accuses US of practicing sneak attack 02:20
"The
JMSDF is always using every opportunity to strengthen the JMSDF-USN
alliance, and joining an exercise like this is a natural event to
stabilize regional security," a Maritime Self-Defense Force statement
said.
South Korean vessels joined exercises with the US warships on Sunday, according to US Navy photos.
The
South Korean Defense Ministry said it sent two destroyers equipped with
the Aegis anti-ballistic missile defense system as well as five other
warships to the exercises.
Each US
aircraft carrier holds more than 60 aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter
jets, airborne early warning and control aircraft and helicopters for
anti-submarine warfare.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force warships join in the Pacific exercises.
The
ships accompanying the carriers included destroyers and cruisers
equipped with the Aegis system as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles. US
attack submarines typically accompany US aircraft carrier strike groups,
but the Navy usually keeps their specific locations secret.
The
last time three US aircraft carrier strike groups worked together in
the Western Pacific was off the US island of Guam in 2007, according to
the Navy.
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