Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, has condemned the United States for deploying an aircraft carrier to South Korea, calling the move a provocative act that justifies its nuclear program.Newsweek reached out to the North Korean Embassy in China with a request for comment.Why It MattersNorth Korea’s relations with the South are at their lowest point in decades, as Kim Jong Un’s regime continues missile tests and builds out United Nations-sanctioned nuclear weapons program. The North has also moved to erase all references to eventual unification with the South.In response, the U.S. has intensified joint military drills and expressions of support for Seoul, actions that have drawn the ire of Kim’s regime. The North accuses Washington and its ally, South Korea, of aggression, claiming such moves justify moving forward with its nuclear ambitions.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is escorted into a navy port in Busan, South Korea, on March 2, 2025.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is escorted into a navy port in Busan, South Korea, on March 2, 2025.
Son Hyung-ju/Yonhap via Associated Press
What To KnowThe USS Carl Vinson pulled into the naval base in the South Korean city of Busan last weekend. Its arrival came just days after North Korean test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile aimed to “inform the enemies” it said were fostering confrontation in the region.”The U.S. Navy nuclear carrier Carl Vinson strike group entered the Busan operation base in the ROK again on March 2 under the pretext of “demonstrating the ROK-U.S. alliance and increasing inter-operability,” Kim Yo Jong wrote in a statement carried by state media outlet Korean Central News Agency.She pointed out that the carrier’s arrival followed a port call by the nuclear-powered submarine USS Alexandria last month and aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt in June.The U.S. also deployed strategic B-1B bombers for joint exercises with Seoul in January, she said.”The action-accompanied hostile policy toward the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] pursued by the U.S. at present is offering sufficient justification for the DPRK to indefinitely bolster up its nuclear war deterrent,” she said. “We will never confine ourselves to sitting still and commenting on the situation.”What People Are SayingU.S. Pacific Fleet: “Our alliance remains the linchpin of peace and security in Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula, and we are dedicated to working with our ROK [Republic of Korea] Navy counterparts to ensure stability in the region.”South Korean Defense Ministry: “North Korea’s criticism of the deployment of a U.S. strategic asset to implement the U.S. extended deterrence pledge and combined South Korea-U.S. exercise ahead of the Freedom Shield exercise is merely sophistry to justify its nuclear and missile development and build excuse for provocations.”What Happens Next?U.S. President Donald Trump, who met with Kim Jong Un three times during his first term in hopes of securing denuclearization commitments, has said he intends to engage the North Korean leader again. It remains uncertain when such a meeting would take place.
