Three US carriers lead naval drill aimed at North Korea

SEOUL — Three US aircraft carriers, accompanied by South Korean warships, launched a joint naval drill yesterday in a fresh show of force aimed at North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions have dominated US President Donald Trump's ongoing tour of Asia.

The four-day exercise in the western Pacific involves three flattops—USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt—and seven South Korean vessels including three destroyers. It is the first such triple-carrier drill in the region for a decade.

"The exercise is aimed at enhancing deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and showing off preparedness to fend off any provocative acts by the North," a South Korean defense ministry spokesman said.

Nuclear-armed North Korea regularly denounces such military drills as rehearsals for invasion and sometimes conducts its own military maneuvers or missile tests in response.

The US warships will carry out air defense drills, sea surveillance, defensive air combat training and other operations, the US Navy said.

The exercises come on the heels of Trump's visits to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing this week, which were dominated by the question of how to counter Pyongyang's nuclear weapons threat.

At a summit in Seoul, Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-In agreed to increase the deployment of US military assets around the Korean peninsula to step up pressure on the North.

And in a speech to the South Korean parliament, Trump warned North Korea not to underestimate the United States, while offering leader Kim Jong-Un a better future if he gives up his nuclear ambitions.

The North, which this year carried out its sixth nuclear test, generating by far the largest yield to date, has fired dozens of missiles in recent months—all in defiance of multiple UN sanctions.