A U.S. naval task force led by the George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will join South Korean warships in naval exercises on November 28 - December 1, Yonhap news agency said Wednesday.
The United States and South Korea earlier announced joint naval drills in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula.
The drills will be held in the wake of a recent military clash between North Korea and South Korea. The South claimed it returned fire after the North opened artillery fire on the its Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, killing at least two South Korean marines. Sixteen others were injured, along with three civilians.
North Korea later blamed the South for causing the incident.
The USS George Washington, which carries 75 combat aircraft and a crew of over 6,000, has already left a U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, Yonhap said quoting S. Korean and U.S. defense officials.
MOSCOW, November 24, (RIA Novosti)
