The USS George Washington aircraft carrier arrived at a key naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on Wednesday, South Korea's Navy said, in a reaffirmation of the South Korea-US combined defense posture.
The nuclear-powered vessel of Carrier Strike Group 5 entered the naval base in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in what marked the first such visit by a US aircraft carrier to South Korea since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June.
The aircraft carrier was accompanied by the USS Robert Smalls guided-missile cruiser, and the USS Milius and USS Shoup Aegis-equipped destroyers, according to the Navy.
The Navy said the visit is aimed at replenishing supplies and providing rest to crew members.
"The Navy plans to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the South Korean and US navies as well as strengthen the combined defense posture on the occasion of the port entry of the Carrier Strike Group 5," it added.
The latest visit marks the first such visit by a US aircraft carrier in around eight months since the USS Carl Vinson arrived in Busan in March.
North Korea had protested against the arrival, with Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, calling it Washington's expression of its "most hostile and confrontational will." (Yonhap)
