North Korea Tension: US ‘Armada’ Was Heading Towards Opposite Direction Of North Korea
The tension between North Korea and the United States has been growing steadily in the past weeks, leading to a worrisome video released by the North Koreans. The said video is a mock-up presentation of the country’s missiles destroying an American city, all the while being part of the celebration marking the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Jong-un’s grandfather.
The rather explosive mock-up video may lead people to wonder how things have escalated to this point, apparently, the North Korean tension is the result of several events in the past weeks. According to BBC News, the US military ordered a navy strike group to sail to the Korean Peninsula on April 8. As a result, North Korea expressed that they will defend themselves “by powerful force of arms,” on April 11.
Following North Korea’s statement, the country led by Dictator Kim Jong-un puts a huge military parade, flaunting missiles in order to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of Kim’s grandfather, Kim II-sung. On April 15, United States Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea a day before North Korea conducted a failed rocket test.
In the wake of the failed rocket testing, a Senior North Korean official told BBC that North Korea will carry on with their weekly missile testing to which Pence responded, “Do not test Donald Trump.” The events led to the United States assembled a US Navy strike group, it was discovered on April 18 that the said group was not actually heading to North Korea despite the officials’ claims.
The Carl Vinson strike group was supposed to travel to the Korean peninsula on April 8 because of the tension between North Korea and the United States. According to President Donald Trump, the strike group was an armada to be sent to deal with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
However, it was soon discovered that the strike group was actually moving through the Sunda Strait into the Indian Ocean, which was far off course from the Korean peninsula. In an effort to clarify matters regarding the Carl Vinson strike group, the US military’s Pacific Command claimed that they canceled the port visit to Perth with their scheduled training with Australia being completed as planned. As of now, the strike group is reported to be “proceeding to the Western Pacific as ordered.”
In light of the confusion, it is definitely unclear if the operation was an act of deception, done in the hopes of frightening the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. It is also possible that it was all just a big miscommunication or a sudden change of plans.
Nevertheless, United States Vice President Mike Pence still stands his ground regarding the tension with North Korea. During his stay at the USS Ronald Reagan, currently stationed in Japan, Pence vowed to “defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response.”
The North Korean Tension continues to grow while the behavior of the Carl Vinson strike group implies that a pre-emptive strike by the US against the nuclear-testing country may take place. According to Pence, North Korea is currently the most dangerous and urgent threat to peace and security in the Asia-Pacific.
The statement came after North Korea’s military parade that featured an alarming mock up video depicting the US flag in flames, following a missile launch directed at the land of the free. According to ABC News, the celebration in North Korea consisted of singing and trumpets blowing as footage of the February missile testing played behind the orchestra. The missiles were then accompanied with more weapons as they passed over the Pacific and exploded in the United States.
The end of the video painted a picture of the United States in the aftermath of the missile detonation, with the US flag engulfed in flames with an overlay of a cemetery filled with white crosses. After the performance, the crowd burst into an enthusiastic cheer and excitement, with symphonies of “hurrahs” echoing in the arena.
[Featured Image By Lt. Steve Smith/Getty Images]
