Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
US nuclear carrier to train in East Sea
By Jun Ji-hye
South Korea and the United States will begin a joint maritime drill which will feature the USS Ronald Reagan, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, on Oct. 26 in the East Sea, military officials said Tuesday.
The drill is expected to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea has condemned such joint drills as “war practices.”
The participation of the 101,400-ton carrier comes amid possibilities that North Korea may still stage a provocation such as firing long-range missiles or conducting a nuclear test.
The maritime training will be timed with the planned participation of two F-22 Raptor stealth fighters in a defense exhibition here that will take place for six days from Oct. 20.
An official said, on the condition of anonymity, that the military will carry out the drill “quietly,” without disclosing it to the media, in order not to provoke North Korea ahead of the reunion event of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, which is also scheduled to begin on Oct. 20.
The carrier will arrive at the port of Busan on Oct. 18 to attend a naval parade that will take place in the waters off Busan from Oct. 17 for seven days to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the ROK Navy and the nation’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
“The joint drill will follow the parade a little later,” the official said.
Commissioned in 2003, the carrier has more than 80 combat aircraft, including the F/A-18, EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft and E-2C airborne early warning planes. It can carry about 5,000 sailors.
The USS Ronald Reagan arrived at a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka in Japan on Oct. 1 to trade places with the USS George Washington.
The Seoul-Washington joint drill will also feature the U.S. Navy’s Aegis-equipped cruiser and Aegis destroyer, along with the Ronald Reagan. The ROK Navy will dispatch its destroyers and submarines, the official said.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Kim Min-seok said, “The drill will include the operations of anti-submarine warfare and anti-air warfare, as well as mine countermeasures training.”
Around that same time, two F-22 Raptor fighters will also visit South Korea to attend the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2015 (Seoul ADEX 2015) at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. This is the first time such strategic U.S. aircraft will be displayed at the biennial exhibition.
The event, which began in 1996, includes indoor exhibits, demonstration flights and an outdoor exhibition of aircraft and ground equipment.
North Korea has yet to launch any provocations contrary to expectations that it would do so on or around the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party, which fell on Oct. 10.
Military officials said they are still observing Pyongyang’s behavior closely as President Park Geun-hye is planning to hold a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, Friday, where it is expected they will discuss matters concerning North Korea.
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