Utama Ship Combat Group USS Ronald Reagan Lego Janger Di Korea Selatan, Send Messages Untuk Korea Utara

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) with the combat group he leads. (Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christian Senyk)

JAKARTA - The US carrier arrived in South Korea on Friday, for the first time in four years, to join other military ships in a demonstration of force meant to send a message to North Korea.

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and ships from the accompanying attack group docked at a naval base in the port city of Busan.

His arrival marked the most significant deployment, but under a new push to have more US "strategic assets" operating in the area to deter North Korea.

Commander of the strike group Rear Admiral Michael aired told reporters on board the visit had long been planned and designed to build ties with South Korean allies, increasing interoperability between the navy.

"We left a message to diplomats," he said, when asked about any signal to North Korea, but added that joint exercises were designed to ensure allies could respond to threats anywhere and anytime.

"It's an opportunity for us to practice tactics and operations," explained hotspots.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has pushed for increased joint exercises and other military force performances, as a warning to North Korea which this year recorded a missile test record.

That was after talks failed to persuade Pyongyang to end the development of its nuclear weapons and missiles.

North Korea has denounced the US military deployment before and joint exercises as exercises for war, evidence of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul.

The visit of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) this time was the first to go to South Korea by US carriers since 2018.

That year, allies reduced much of their joint military activity, amid diplomatic efforts to engage with North Korea, but the talks stalled. Pyongyang this month announced the updated law, coding its right to carry out the first use of nuclear attacks to protect itself.

Questions have increased over the role of some 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea as they might play if conflict erupted in Taiwan.

Officials declined to provide details of the upcoming joint drills, but said the carrier would be at the port for "a few days" while his crew visited Busan.