Pray for peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula as the U.S. holds joint naval exercises with South Korea this weekend.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives in Busan, Republic of Korea on July 21. (Photo: U.S. Navy/Charles Oki)
North Korea on Friday threatened a “physical response” to the joint naval exercises by the U.S. and South Korea planned for this weekend (The Guardian). The four days of exercises, planned to take place in the Sea of Japan beginning Sunday, are in response to the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March. An international investigation determined that the ship was sunk by a torpedo from a North Korean submarine, but North Korea denies responsibility for the attack.
The U.S. has also called for new sanctions against North Korea to bring a halt to its nuclear weapons program during this week’s regional security conference in Hanoi. North Korea maintains that new sanctions would contradict the UN Security Council’s silence on who bears responsibility for the attack, and says the military exercises are a threat to the security of the region.
Tags: Cheonan, Navy, North Korea, nuclear weapons, South Korea, UN Security Council, USS George Washington
