Seoul: South Korea's Defense Ministry on Tuesday denounced North Korea's recent remarks regarding the arrival of a US aircraft carrier in South Korea, calling them an attempt to justify the North's military provocations, Yonhap News Agency reported.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the ministry said in a statement that North Korea's criticism of the deployment of a US strategic asset to uphold the US extended deterrence pledge and conduct joint South Korea-US exercises ahead of the Freedom Shield exercise is mere sophistry aimed at justifying its nuclear and missile development while creating an excuse for provocations.
Referring to the arrival of the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson at a key naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said that the US move necessitates strengthening Pyongyang's nuclear forces.
Her remarks marked the first time she has addressed the US since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
The Defense Ministry reiterated that North Korea's nuclear development can never be accepted, stressing that the only viable path for the North is to abandon its nuclear ambitions, and that if the North engages in provocations under the pretext of Seoul and Washington's legitimate and defensive military activities, it would face an overwhelming response, the ministry warned.
The USS Carl Vinson's arrival in South Korea, the first visit by a US aircraft carrier in about eight months, comes as the allies prepare to conduct their annual springtime joint exercises.