North Korea blames US Navy exercises for "worst ever situation"
What's the story
North Korea has accused the US of "taking up a strike posture" around the Korean peninsula by deploying three US Navy aircraft carriers. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, North Korean UN Ambassador Ja Song Nam said the joint naval exercises were creating "the worst ever situation." Ja wrote that it was getting impossible to predict when the nuclear war would break out.
Quote
North says US is 'running amok by introducing nuclear weapons'
Washington "is now running amok for war exercises by introducing nuclear war equipment in and around the Korean Peninsula, thereby proving that the US itself is the major offender of the escalation of tension and undermining of the peace," Ja's letter read.
Details
Scale of the US-Japan-South Korea joint exercises
Three US aircraft carrier strike groups have been conducting joint exercises in the Western Pacific along with South Korean and Japanese warships. The combined flotilla comprises of dozens of naval warships, aircraft, and submarines. The exercise represents a rare show of force amid US President Donald Trump's East Asia trip. The last time three US carriers exercised together in the region was in 2007.
Why
Exercises indicated US isn't intimated by North's nuclear tests
South Korea has said the joint exercises are in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, which Seoul feels can only be repelled by "overwhelming force." From the US perspective, the exercises are aimed at signaling to the North that America won't be intimidated by the nuclear and ballistic missile tests, and regular threats. It is also meant to reassure US regional allies.