South Korea-U.S. joint drills to begin Monday... upping pressure on North Korea
美 전략무기 한반도 총출동…北 도발시 '응징' 의지 과시 Our starting point this evening... It's been a month since North Korea last test fired a ballistic missile,... but the situation remains tense on the Korean peninsula. Joint military drills between Seoul and Washington kick off this week -- as the two sides up the pressure on Pyongyang, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the peninsula next month. Kwon Jang-ho reports. Another round of joint South Korea-U.S. military drills begin on Monday,... this time including the USS Ronald Reagan. The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier supports up to 70 aircraft, from fighters to helicopters, and is one of America's most powerful assets in the region. An Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, the USS Michigan, has already arrived at the southern port of Busan, carrying some 150 Tomahawk missiles. The U.S. military are also providing several aircraft to a local exhibition in Seoul, including the B1-B Lancer strategic bomber and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. Joint drills like these have antagonized North Korea in the past, and there are concerns Pyongyang will react with its own display of force. Military officials in Seoul have reported movement of mobile missile launchers in North Korea, and remain on alert for any provocations. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is set to promise South Korea and Japan the protection of America's nuclear umbrella against North Korea in a speech next month. According to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Trump will make the speech in Seoul, during his 12-day visit to Asian nations, and he will look to up the pressure on Pyongyang, stressing that the North Korea situation is the administration's most important challenge. Trump also suggested on Friday that negotiations with Pyongyang might still be possible, but that they remain ready for numerous possibilities. Laying the groundwork for Trump's visit, Seoul's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-hwa, spoke on the phone with her U.S. counterpart, Rex Tillerson, on Saturday night. The foreign ministry revealed that they both hoped the visit will further strengthen the bilateral relationship and find ways to work more closely together to tackle North Korea. Kwon Jang-ho, Arirang News. Arirang News Facebook: / arirangtvnews ------------------------------------------------------------ [Subscribe Arirang Official YouTube] ARIRANG TV: / arirang ARIRANG RADIO: / music180arirang ARIRANG NEWS: / arirangnews ARIRANG K-POP: / arirangworld ARIRANG ISSUE: / arirangtoday ARIRANG CULTURE: / arirangkorean ARIRANG FOOD & TRAVEL : / arirangfoodtravel ------------------------------------------------------------ [Visit Arirang TV Official Pages] Facebook: / arirangtv Twitter: / arirangworld Instagram: / arirangworld Homepage: http://www.arirang.com ------------------------------------------------------------ [Arirang K-Pop] YouTube: / arirangworld Facebook: / arirangkpop Google+: http://plus.google.com/+arirangworld
