U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea after North Korea test-fired missiles

U.S. MH-60 Seahawk helicopters are seen on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson at a port in Busan, South Korea on March 3, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea on Sunday (March 3, 2025) in a show of force, days after North Korea test-launched cruise missiles to demonstrate its counterattack capabilities.

The arrival of the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group at the South Korean port of Busan was meant to display a solid U.S.-South Korean military alliance in the face of persistent North Korean threats, and boost interoperability of the allies’ combined assets, the South Korean navy said in a statement.

It said it was the first U.S. aircraft carrier to travel to South Korea since June.

The deployment of the carrier is expected to anger North Korea, as it perceives such temporary deployments of powerful U.S. military assets as significant security threats. In response to past deployments of U.S. aircraft carriers, long-range bombers, and nuclear-powered submarines, North Korea has conducted missile tests.

Since taking office on January 20, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in diplomatic talks. However, North Korea has not directly responded to Mr. Trump’s gestures, citing escalated U.S.-led hostilities against the country since Mr. Trump’s inauguration.

North Korea announced on Friday (February 28, 2025) that it test-fired strategic cruise missiles earlier in the week to demonstrate its military’s counterattack capabilities and the readiness of its nuclear operations. Following the missile launches, Kim emphasized the military’s preparedness to use nuclear weapons.

Experts believe that Mr. Kim is unlikely to accept Mr. Trump’s diplomatic overtures at this time, as he is currently focused on supporting Russia’s actions in the Ukraine conflict by providing military aid. They suggest that Mr. Kim may reconsider engaging in diplomacy with Mr. Trump when he perceives a need to maintain his country’s current cooperation with Russia.

Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump held three meetings from 2018-2019 during Mr. Trump’s first term to discuss the future of North Korea’s nuclear program. However, their diplomatic efforts eventually collapsed due to disagreements over U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea.