A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan on Thursday, in a show of force in response to North Korea's ongoing nuclear and missile threats.
The arrival of the U.S. Navy's Ronald Reagan came as the United States, South Korea and Japan held a joint exercise on Monday and Tuesday in international waters southeast of South Korea's Jeju Island.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said earlier this week that the five-day visit of the carrier and its strike group comes as part of an agreement made between Seoul and Washington in April to enhance the "regular visibility" of the United States' strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.
The aircraft carrier last visited South Korea in September 2022, in the first port call in five years. Another U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Nimitz, also visited the port of Busan in March.
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