The USS Michigan, a US nuclear-powered submarine arrived in the South Korean port of Busan on Tuesday, as the DPRK celebrated the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army.
People mark the 85th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army in this handout photo by the DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 25, 2017. /Reuters Photo
Officials from Japan, the US and South Korea also met on Tuesday to discuss the rising tension on the Korean Peninsula and the bloc agreed to urge the DPRK to exercise restraint.
According to the website of the US navy’s Pacific submarine fleet, the USS Michigan carries more than 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles. They are capable of precision strikes against DPRK nuclear facilities.
Washington has also sent aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to the Korean Peninsula, where it is expected to arrive later this week, despite confusion over the carrier's whereabouts earlier this month after US officials indicated it was sailing towards the DPRK when in fact it was heading south.
The USS Michigan arrives in Busan, South Korea. /Reuters Photo
While marking the foundation of its military, the DPRK on Tuesday conducted a large live-fire exercise in the region of Wonsan on its east coast. Many had speculated that the DPRK could have used the occasion to launch another nuclear test or long-range missile in defiance of UN sanctions.
US President Donald Trump said the DPRK is a big world problem that has to be solved, as the US side has refused to take military action off the table. Hosting ambassadors from the United Nations Security Council at the White House on Monday, he called for sanctions against the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs of the DPRK.
Special representatives from the US, Japan and South Korea meet to discuss the tension on the Korean Peninsula in Tokyo, Japan on April 25, 2017. /Reuters Photo
Meanwhile, the DPRK said in a statement on Tuesday that the Korean Peninsula is on the verge of war due to "reckless action" by the United States, referring to its economic sanctions and increasing military threats.
Beijing has maintained a stance of resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and not through conflict. China’s special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, Wu Dawei, was due to leave for a visit to Japan to exchange views on the issue on Tuesday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said the country hopes to find a peaceful resolution to this crisis. “There has been enough confrontational rhetoric recently. What we need is a voice of reason and peaceful solutions,” according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
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