SEOUL — North Korea has slammed the United States for «political and military provocations» over the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of<\/b>
\nNorth Korea has slammed the United States for \u201cpolitical and military provocations\u201d over the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.
The statement by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea\u2019s ruler Kim Jong Un, was published Tuesday by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
\u201cAs soon as its new administration appeared this year, the US has stepped up the political and military provocations against the DPRK, \u2018carrying forward\u2019 the former administration\u2019s hostile policy,\u201d her statement read.
DPRK is the acronym for the North\u2019s formal name, the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea.
The USS Carl Vinson, the flagship of a carrier strike group, arrived in Busan for a scheduled port visit on Sunday, the US Navy said in a statement.
\u201cThe visit to Busan exemplifies the US commitment to the region, further enhancing relationships with ROK leaders and the local population,\u201d the US Navy said, using the acronym for the South\u2019s formal name.
Military cooperation between Seoul and Washington regularly invites condemnation from Pyongyang, where the government sees such moves as preparation for an invasion, and often carries out missile tests in response.
\u201cThe US vicious moves for confrontation with the DPRK have been intensified in March with the appearance of Carl Vinson in the Korean peninsula,\u201d said Kim Yo Jong.
South Korea\u2019s ministry of defense said that Kim\u2019s statement is \u201cnothing more than an excuse aimed at justifying its nuclear missile development and creating a pretext for provocations.\u201d
\u201cNorth Korea\u2019s nuclear ambitions can never be tolerated, and the only path to its survival is to abandon its obsession and delusions about nuclear weapons,\u201d said the ministry said in a statement.
Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions.
Last week, North Korea carried out a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea, in a drill Pyongyang said was aimed at showing off its \u201ccounterattack\u201d capabilities.
Joint South Korea-US \u201cFreedom Shield\u201d military exercises are set to begin this month.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
Kim Yo Jong\u2019s missive ended with what appeared to be a threat to \u201crenew its records\u201d in the testing of nuclear-capable missiles and other such technology.
\u201cIf the US continues to renew its records in the anti-DPRK military demonstration, the DPRK will be naturally compelled to renew its records in the exercise of strategic deterrence,\u201d she said.
She said the United States and its allies were the \u201croot cause of escalating tension\u201d in the region, and that the North \u201cbitterly condemns the reckless visible actions and muscle-flexing\u201d of Washington.<\/p>\n