North Korea Warns of “Offensive Action” as US Carrier Arrives in South Korea

By Staff, Agencies

North Korea has issued a sharp warning of “offensive action” in response to the arrival of a US aircraft carrier in South Korea and ongoing military discussions between Washington and Seoul.

North Korean defense minister No Kwang Chol condemned the presence of the US carrier in Busan, saying Pyongyang would escalate its response to what it views as growing threats.
“We will show more offensive action against the enemies’ threat on the principle of ensuring security and defending peace by dint of powerful strength,” he said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

In comments reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, No added that any threat “encroaching upon the sphere of the North’s security” would become a “direct target” and be dealt with “in a necessary way.”

He pointed to recent visits to the DMZ and military talks in Seoul as evidence that the US and South Korea are seeking to integrate their nuclear and conventional forces against Pyongyang.
“We have correctly understood the hostility of the US to stand in confrontation with the DPRK to the last, and will never avoid the response to it,” he said.

The warning coincided with South Korea hosting the annual South Korea–US Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), attended by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The USS George Washington and the Fifth Carrier Strike Group arrived as American and South Korean forces carried out large-scale joint military drills known as Freedom Flag.

Hegseth, who toured the DMZ and posted photos during his visit, said Washington is committed to strengthening the alliance against North Korea and exploring more flexible deployment options for US troops in the region.

Pyongyang denounced his visit as “a stark revelation” of Washington’s hostile intentions.

The tensions escalated further after North Korea conducted a ballistic missile launch, which Japan said landed outside its exclusive economic zone. While the US downplayed the launch as not posing an immediate threat, Indo-Pacific Command said it underscored the “destabilizing impact” of North Korea’s actions.

The launch came just over a week after US President Donald Trump completed a regional tour.