US guided-missile destroyer docks in South Korea after transiting Taiwan Strait: source

The destroyer USS Sampson is seen in this undated file photo. Yonhap

A U.S. guided-missile destroyer arrived at South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan, Friday, for replenishment and other purposes, an informed source said Friday, following its transit through the Taiwan Strait earlier this week.

Docked at a naval command in the city, the USS Sampson is set to stay through May 3, the source said, amid lingering tensions caused by North Korea's recent missile launches, including its test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

On Tuesday, the warship conducted what the U.S. Navy dubbed a "routine" Taiwan Strait transit through international waters ― a move seen as part of the U.S.' operation to keep an increasingly assertive China in check.

This visit comes as Seoul and Washington are stepping up coordination to rein in North Korea's provocative behavior amid speculation that it may soon conduct a seventh nuclear test or launch another ICBM. (Yonhap)