NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO SINK SAN DIEGO-BASED AIRCRAFT CARRIER

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By Miriam Raftery

April 24, 2017 (San Diego) – Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea continue to escalate.  NBC news reports that Korean officials have called deployment of the USS Carl Vinson, a San Diego-based carrier, to the region “an extremely dangerous act by those who plan a nuclear war to invade the north.”

On Sunday, North Korea’s state-run newspaper published commentary which states, “Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike.”

Korea recently claimed it launched a successful ballistic missile. Korea’s dictator has boasted of capabilities to strike the U.S. mainland Asia Pacific region with nuclear weapons, though these claims have not been confirmed and military experts have viewed them with skepticism.

However, the U.S. and its allies including Japan and China have all voiced concerns over the need to prevent the North Koreans from building up a nuclear arsenal. North Korea has regularly threatened Japan with military aggression.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he was sending an “armada” to the Korean peninsula.  The Trump administration has warned that all options are on the table, potentially including a military strike.

It was later clarified that the USS Carl Vinson was heading to Australia when it was ordered diverted to the Western Pacific Ocean for training drills along with Japanese destroyers.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in a phone call with Trump Sunday night, urged that all parties “exercise restraint and avoid aggravating the situation,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, CNN reports.  The White House confirmed the call and said both leaders committed to “strengthen coordination in achieving the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”

Amid these tensions, Korea has detained three U.S. citizens, the Swedish embassy has told NBC news. Sweden handles consular matters for the U.S. in North Korea. It is unclear why the Americans are detained or what steps the U.S. may engage in to negotiate their release.

Meanwhile U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, praised China for putting pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.  Many experts have indicated that despite fiery rhetoric, Trump, like presidents in both parties before him, will likely rely on diplomacy and help from China to restrain North Korea.

But Haley left open the door for a military option. Speaking on the Today show, she delivered this message for North Korea: “The Unite States is not looking for a fight, so don’t give us a reason to have one.”

 


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