Amid rising tensions with North Korea, the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Cheyenne made a port call Tuesday in the South Korean city of Busan, according to a Stars and Stripes report. The U.S. Navy said the port call was part of the scheduled deployment to the western Pacific.
The submarine arrived in Busan just over a month after the USS Michigan visited the port and just a week after the carriers Carl Vinson and Ronald Reagan conducted operations in the region. The USS Nimitz is currently en route to the region as well.
"We are honored to host the crew of USS Cheyenne for a much deserved port visit," Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, said in a statement.
The U.S. and South Korean navies "routinely work shoulder-to-shoulder with one another," said Cooper, "and this port visit is an opportunity for Cheyenne sailors to enjoy Busan and explore the Korean culture."
The increase in military presence in the western Pacific coincides with rising fears of growing threats from North Korea. The bolstered presence has rattled North Korea, which has accused the U.S. and South Korea of preparing for an invasion.
North Korea has test-fired about a dozen missiles this year, an increase in the pace of its testing program and a defiance of the United Nations Security Council ban on ballistic technology. The country also conducted two underground nuclear tests last year.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called North Korea a "clear and present danger" during his speech Saturday at an international security conference in Singapore.
"We're working diplomatically, economically, we're trying to exhaust all possible alternatives to avert this race for a nuclear weapon," he said. "We want to stop this. We consider it urgent."
Mackenzie Wolf is an editorial intern for Military Times.
