North Korea Threatens to Sink US Aircraft Carrier

As tensions rise between Pyongyang and Washington, and while Donald Trump seeks to consult with leaders from China and Japan on the issue, North Korea's state media announced that the country is ready to sink the US aircraft carrier to demonstrate its military capabilities. In response to North Korea's missile tests and nuclear threats, the United States has dispatched the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and its accompanying vessels to the waters off the Korean Peninsula. On Saturday, US Vice President Mike Pence stated that this carrier group would arrive in the region within a few days. Meanwhile, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling party, addressed the threat from the US in its editorial. According to a Reuters report, the newspaper wrote: 'Our revolutionary forces are ready to battle and sink the US nuclear aircraft carrier with a strike... and such an attack would be a good example to showcase our military capabilities.' Reuters further reported that a senior US official stated that Donald Trump was scheduled to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday evening. Trump had previously stated that he would resolve the North Korean issue with or without China's help, but China has warned against military action against Pyongyang and urged the US to find a peaceful solution to the problem. Recently, North Korea also threatened Australia, which has called for pressure against Pyongyang, with a nuclear attack. On Sunday, Pyongyang also announced that it had arrested another American citizen, bringing the total number of Americans currently detained in North Korea to three. CBS News identified this American citizen as Tony Kim, stating that he had been teaching at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology for a month. The report indicated that Tony Kim was arrested on Saturday while attempting to leave North Korea at Pyongyang International Airport. A US State Department official confirmed this news in an interview with CBS News, assuring that the protection of American citizens is a priority for the department and that contact has been made with the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which represents US interests in North Korea. Last year, North Korea detained an American student for stealing a propaganda poster and sentenced him to fifteen years of hard labor. Another American citizen was also detained in North Korea for espionage and sentenced to ten years in prison.