US aircraft carrier arrives in S Korea in show of force

A nuclear-powered United States aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea on Saturday for a three-way exercise stepping up their military training to cope with North Korean threats that escalated with its alignment with Russia.

The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group in Busan came a day after South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to protest a pact reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week.

Following a meeting between their defence chiefs in Singapore earlier in June, the US, South Korea and Japan announced Freedom Edge. The new multi-domain exercise is aimed at sharpening the countries’ combined response in various areas of operation, including air, sea and cyberspace.

The Theodore Roosevelt strike group will participate in the exercise that is expected to start within June. South Korea’s military didn’t immediately confirm specific details of the training. AP