US Moves More Warships, Bombers Near North Korea

TEHRAN (defapress)- The United States moved more warships and aircraft near the Korean Peninsula, expanding its military presence in the region as South Korea prepares to host North Korean athletes in Winter Olympics next month.

News ID: 68110

Date: 16 January 2018 - 14:05

The USS Wasp, an upgraded US Marine Corps amphibious assault ship that can carry troops and a crop of fighter jets including the F-35, arrived in southern Japan on Sunday, World News reported.

The US Pacific Air Forces announced last week that it had deployed three B-2 "Spirit" stealth bombers along with some 200 personnel from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to the Pacific island of Guam.

Earlier, the US Navy’s USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier departed for the western Pacific on what the Pentagon said was a routine mission. The strike group is expected to arrive in the region before the Olympics begin on February 9.

North Korea has accused the United States of attempting to disrupt its dialogue with South Korea, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling party, wrote on Monday.

The paper said Washington is "preparing to deploy its strategic military assets around the Korean Peninsula".

"The US is repeating its pledge not to ease sanctions and pressure until the North abandons nuclear and ballistic missile programs. It is throwing cold water on an atmosphere of reconciliation," the newspaper wrote.

The newspaper warned that North Korea has various options that can be used against Washington at an appropriate time.

The first signs of thaw were seen in relations between Pyongyang and Seoul, as representatives from North and South Koreas began direct talks in early January, in the first instance of face-to-face dialog in more than two years, as the fresh talks were being held behind closed doors at the Peace House in the Joint Security Area in the truce village of Panmunjom, at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the divided countries.

In a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting, Pyongyang made a “strong complaint” after Seoul proposed negotiations to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, while North and South Korea agreed to reopen their military hotline to continue normal communications.

Pyongyang has also announced that it has plans to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang to cheer on the team. North Korea has also proposed to send groups of fans, musicians, taekwondo demonstration teams and journalists to Pyeongchang.

Pyongyang had stressed that the intra-Korean talks are a “great opportunity” for unification, but warned foreign parties against compromising the talks, state-run KCNA news agency reported, commenting on a speech by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

US decades-long military presence in and around the Korean Peninsula has forced Pyongyang to develop its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons as a deterrent against Washington's aggression. The United States has thousands of troops in the region, partially in South Korea and Japan, and routinely threatens the North with military action to stop its weapons program.

Pyongyang has firmly defended its military program as a deterrent against the hostile policies of the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan. North Korean officials have time and again accused their American counterparts of seeking regime change in their country.