US carrier, South Korea warships start new drills amid heightened tensions
The drills will take place until Saturday and aim to strengthen the two allies' combined defense capabilities against any North Korean provocations, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
South Korea’s 4,400-ton destroyer Munmu the Great and Washington's nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which will later be escorted down to waters southeast of Jeju Island as part of the exercise, are also taking part in the drills, according to the statement.
The joint drills come after tensions rose on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea’s ballistic missile tests. (ILKHA)