North Korea holds drill to mark military anniversary day

Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the USA with a nuclear missile and has said all options are on the table, including a military strike.

The port call by the USS Michigan came as a USA aircraft carrier strike group steamed towards Korean waters and as the top envoys for North Korea policy from South Korea, Japan, and the United States met in Tokyo.

There is speculation that North Korea may carry out another nuclear or missile test to mark the anniversary of its armed forces Tuesday.

North Korea conducted a large-scale, live-fire military drill on Tuesday morning in yet another show of force.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said it could not immediately confirm the report.

The U.S. defense secretary said on Friday that North Korea's recent statements were provocative but had proven to be hollow in the past and should not be trusted.

North Korea's capital is quiet on Tuesday amid expectations of some sort of a big event to mark the anniversary of the founding of the country's military.

The Michigan is one of the largest submarines in the United States' arsenal and its tomahawk missiles have a range of 1,600km, meaning that from Busan the submarine could hit North Korean ports or military installations.

Abe told reporters following a separate call with Trump that he had praised the USA leader's policy of keeping all options on the table for countering the North Korean threat.

According to Nusta Carranza Ko, an assistant professor of political science at Ohio Northern University, asking China to help would allow the United States to avoid military involvement with North Korea. As The Two-Way reported Monday, "the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was rerouted toward North Korea earlier this month, after initial confusion over its strike group's deployment - including remarks by President Trump that he was sending "an armada" to the Korean Peninsula".

The US 7th Fleet said two American destroyers are conducting simultaneous maritime exercises with naval ships from South Korea and Japan.

Two Japanese destroyers joined the carrier group for exercises in the western Pacific yesterday, and South Korea said it was in talks about holding joint naval exercises.

US President Donald Trump told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo earlier this month that the US was sending an "armada" with submarines to the region.

Seoul has long anxious about losing its voice in global efforts to deal with North Korea's nuclear threat - something local media have termed "Korea Passing".

"A closed-door briefing on the new policy toward the DPRK will be reportedly held in the White House for the senators in the presence of high-ranking officials including the State and Defense secretaries", said the spokesman.

North Korea reacted badly to news of the Carl Vinson deployment, promising a "super-mighty pre-emptive strike", while China has tried to act as peacemaker, urging calm in the region.

As a traditional ally and North Korea's chief source of trade, food and fuel aid, China has come under intense pressure to use its influence to dissuade Pyongyang from additional nuclear tests and missile launches. "And it's a problem we have to finally solve".

State-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said over the weekend in an editorial the country could sink a "nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike".

"I think it's a new day when you've got China and the United States working together on a statement to condemn North Korea".

In a phone conversation with Trump on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all sides to exercise restraint.

As the carrier group drills continued, the USS Michigan arrived in the South Korean port of Busan on Tuesday, the US Navy said.

Ohio-class SSGNs like the USS Michigan can deliver a maximum of 154 Tomahawak land-attack cruise missiles in their converted ballistic missile tubes.

China's willingness to press North Korea has sparked a battle between the nations' media outlets.