A U.S.
nuclear-powered submarine on Tuesday arrived at the southern port of
Busan, South Korea, amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula, YTN
television reported.
The USS
Michigan guided-missile submarine has already arrived at Busan, the
South Korean military was quoted as saying. The broadcaster did not
elaborate on the exact time of its arrival.
Although the
nuclear submarine is not supposed to participate in any drills or
military operations, its call would send a meaningful message to the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said the YTN.
At a
national meeting held Monday, the DPRK again warned the United States
that it would stage preemptive nuclear strikes against American
forces.
The USS
Michigan is one of four Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines
loaded with nuclear missiles. The 170-meter-long, 18,000-ton
submarine can carry as many as 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a
range of some 1,600 km.
The
Michigan's call on South Korea came amid mounting tensions on the
peninsula. The USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is
sailing toward the peninsula.
The rare
re-routing of the super-carrier to the peninsula had raised concerns
about possible airstrikes on the DPRK's nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile,
the DPRK Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the Korean
Peninsula is on the verge of war due to "reckless action"
by the United States using both economic sanctions and increasing
military threats.
According to
South Korea's military, the DPRK conducted large-scale live-fire
artillery exercises on Tuesday to mark its army anniversary.
The DPRK's
artillery drills came amid ongoing joint military exercises of South
Korea and the United States.
The
U.S.-South Korea joint war games, which were denounced by the DPRK as
a rehearsal for northward invasion, would last till the end of this
month.
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