US sub arrive in South Korea
A nuclear-powered US submarine has arrived in South Korea amid concerns North Korea would mark the foundation of its military with another nuclear test.
A NUCLEAR-powered US submarine has arrived in South Korea in a show of force amid concerns North Korea would mark the foundation of its military with another nuclear test.
The port call by the USS Michigan came as a US aircraft carrier strike group steams for Korean waters and as the top nuclear envoys from South Korea, Japan and the US were to meet in Tokyo to discuss the North’s refusal to give up its nuclear program.
It also came as Chinese President Xi Jinping urged restraint in a call to President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump also talked tough at a meeting with the 15 UN Security Council ambassadors, including China and Russia, at the White House.
“The status quo in North Korea is also unacceptable,” Mr Trump said.
“The council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”
Mr Xi’s phone call with Mr Trump came amid signs Pyongyang could soon conduct its sixth nuclear test explosion since 2006, or the latest in a rapid series of missile tests, further advancing its ambitions of developing a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the US mainland.
The Xi-Trump call on Monday morning Beijing time is the second time the two leaders have spoken by telephone since meeting this month.
Mr Xi told Mr Trump China strongly opposes North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, which violates UN Security Council resolutions, and hopes “all parties will exercise restraint and avoid aggravating the situation” on the Korean Peninsula, China’s official broadcaster CCTV said.
The USS Michigan is equipped to carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and is outfitted to stealthily deploy up to 66 Navy SEALs or other special operations troops.
Meanwhile, aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson and ships accompanying it continue to move toward South Korea, after a short naval exercise with Japanese ships in the Philippine Sea. They are several days from arrival.