November 11, 2025 6:18 PM
North Korea denounced on Friday the recent visits of U.S. leadership and an aircraft carrier strike group to South Korea.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back visited the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea on Nov. 3 during Hegseth’s nine-day trip to the Indo-Pacific. Two days later, on Nov. 5, the George Washington Carrier Strike Group (CSG) pulled into port in Busan, South Korea. The CSG stayed in Busan for five days, departing Sunday. The strike group includes aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and destroyers USS Milius (DDG-69) and USS Shoup (DDG-86).
“Our first year back as the U.S. Navy’s premiere forward-deployed aircraft carrier would not be complete without a visit to Busan and engagements with our friends and long-standing allies in the Republic of Korea,” said Capt. Tim Waits, commanding officer of George Washington, in a news release. “I’m incredibly grateful for the hospitality provided to us in Busan, as well as the opportunities we had to work with and train alongside the ROK Navy.”
North Korea Defence Minister No Kwang Chol protested the visits, stating the U.S. military has become brazen in its military activities, which threaten the security of North Korea and intentionally escalates the political and military tension in the region.
“Amid the ongoing U.S.-ROK joint air drill Freedom Flag, the appearance of the super-large nuclear carrier George Washington task force belonging to the U.S. Seventh Fleet heralds the critical excess, further escalating the tension on the Korean peninsula,” reads No’s statement.
The North Korean official also criticised Hegseth’s visit to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, stating it was to fan up “war hysteria.” No also accused both Hegseth and the South Korean defense minister of conspiring against North Korea to rapidly integrate nuclear forces with conventional forces.
“This is a stark revelation and an unveiled intentional expression of their hostile nature to stand against the DPRK to the end,” the North Korean defense minister said.
No warned that all threats to North Korea’s security will become direct targets.
“We will show more offensive action against the enemies’ threat on the principle of ensuring security and defending peace by dint of powerful strength,” reads the statement.
No’s protests coincided with North Korea test launching a short range ballistic missile (SRBM). The launch, which occurred Friday, marked the sixth time the country has launched ballistic missiles this year.
North Korea has not issued a statement on the launch, but the launch was tracked by both South Korea and Japan. The two countries issued different estimations of the performance of the SRBM. The U.S. is also analyzing the performance and details of the launch.
The missile was launched at 12:35 p.m. local time from the Daegwan area in North Pyongan Province toward the East Sea, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The missile flew for 700 kilometers, South Korea said, while Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) stated that the missile flew at a maximum altitude of approximately 50 kilometers and for a distance of more than 450 kilometers.
“North Korea’s series of actions, including the repeated launches of ballistic missiles, threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community. Furthermore, these ballistic missile launches violate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and pose a serious issue concerning the safety of the Japanese people,” reads a Japan MOD news release.U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement Friday, acknowledging the launch.
“We are aware of the missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies, the missile launch highlights the destabilizing impact of the DPRK’s actions. The U.S. remains ready to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region,” reads the statement from the Indo-Pacific Command.
Dzirhan Mahadzir
Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.