Pentagon reaffirms ‘clear’ commitment to S. Korea, Japan after N.K. decries USS Carl Vinson arrival

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Yonhap) — A Pentagon spokesperson on Tuesday reaffirmed the United States’ security commitment to South Korea and Japan, after the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un decried the recent arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier in Korea.

John Supple, the spokesperson, made the remarks after Kim Yo-jong, the reclusive leader’s younger sister, criticized the arrival of USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, in the southern port city of Busan on Sunday.

“We will not comment on Kim Yo-jong’s comments, but we have been clear about our commitment to the defense of the ROK, Japan, and U.S. homeland, along with our commitment to uphold regional peace and stability,” Supple said in response to Yonhap News Agency’s request for comment.

In a statement carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim denounced the carrier’s arrival as Washington’s expression of its “most hostile and confrontational will” against the North.

She also warned that Pyongyang is “planning to carefully examine the option for increasing the actions threatening the security of the enemy at the strategic level.”