US navy group heads for S Korea amid missile crisis

SEOUL, July 12 (Reuters) A U S aircraft carrier group will reach South Korea next week amid heightened regional tension brought about by North Korea firing missiles a week ago, South Korean media reported today.

The U S Navy strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise will arrive for a port call at the southern city of Pusan from Tuesday, Yonhap news reported citing a U S military official.

A spokesman for U S Forces Korea said he could not comment on the reports for security reasons.

The carrier group also includes destroyers equipped with Aegis radar capable of tracking missile flights, as well as cruisers and submarines, Yonhap said.

It will be in Pusan for four days for what the military official told Yonhap was a planned visit not linked to the missile crisis.

North Korea defied international warnings and test fired seven missiles last week, including its long-range Taepodong-2 missile, which some experts said could possibly hit parts of the United States.

REUTERS SHB VV1725