Sends carrier strike group towards Korean peninsula

The Pentagon says a Navy carrier strike group is moving toward the western Pacific Ocean to provide a physical presence near the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea’s recent ballistic missile tests and continued pursuit of a nuclear program have raised tensions in the region, where U.S. Navy ships are a common presence and serve in part as a show of force.

Pyongyang figured in phone talk

On Saturday, President Donald Trump and South Korea’s leader, Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone. The White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues.

The U.S. Pacific Command directed the carrier group to sail north to the western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday, according to a Navy news release. The carrier group includes the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, with support from several missile destroyers and missile cruisers.

Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since January 5, the strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea.

Syria action justifies our line: N. Korea

Meanwhile, North Korea on Sunday condemned the US bombing in Syria as an “absolutely unacceptable aggression” against a sovereign state and has said this justifies Pyongyang’s further military development.

"The U.S. missile strike against Syria is a clear and unforgivable aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn it,” EFE news cited a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement as saying.

The statement said that North Korea, which regards Syria as an ally, was not surprised that this US military attack was a "warning to us"" and that it was another example that "we have to defend ourselves against imperialist aggressions.""

""The reality is that our decision to strengthen our military power to respond to attacks of force is the right choice,” the statement said.