DPRK slams US for persistent deployment of nuclear strategic assets into Korean Peninsula

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea slammed the United States for its persistent deployment of nuclear strategic assets into the Korean Peninsula, denouncing the move as "an undisguised military provocation" driving the situation to an irrevocable catastrophe, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary on Friday.

The KCNA published the commentary a day after the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrived at the Republic of Korea's southeastern port of Busan following trilateral naval drills involving the United States, ROK and Japan.

The article stressed the gravity of the security situation was exacerbated by the latest US move, saying the US deployment of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier proved "the US scheme for nuclear attack on the DPRK" and "the outbreak of a nuclear war has come to the fore."

The DPRK's stated doctrine on using nuclear weapons has allowed the country to take necessary actions in case it is under a nuclear attack or it is determined the country is facing an imminent nuclear attack, the article warned.

It also reiterated that the DPRK armed forces would thoroughly deter and repel the frantic moves by Washington and its followers to ignite a nuclear war on the peninsula.

Carrier Strike Group 5, which includes the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, will stay at the naval base in Busan for five-day from Thursday to Monday, according to ROK's Yonhap News Agency.