The presence of a US aircraft carrier in South Korea this week highlights the strengthening bilateral alliance, a US admiral said Monday, a day after its arrival in Busan.
Rear Adm. Michael Wosje, commander of Carrier Strike Group 1, made the remark in a press conference aboard the USS Carl Vinson at a major naval base in Busan. The visit marks the first time a US aircraft carrier has docked in the country since US President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
When asked whether ongoing trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan could weaken under Trump, Wosje declined to directly comment, but noted that the warship's presence in Busan demonstrates that the South Korea-US alliance is being strongly maintained.
Wosje said that Carrier Strike Group 1 would continue efforts for the shared objective of peace, prosperity and stability, and reaffirming the US commitment to the alliance.
The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Busan along with other warships of the carrier strike group, including the USS Princeton guided missile cruiser and the USS Sterett Aegis-equipped destroyer.
The visit comes about eight months after the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier visited Busan to take part in trilateral drills with South Korea and Japan in June last year. (Yonhap)
