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USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier passing through Indonesia’s Sunda Strait on Apr. 15. (provided by US Navy)

On Apr. 8, the US Navy announced that the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) an American aircraft carrier, had received orders to move north from Singapore toward the Western Pacific. Amid worrying signs that North Korea might test a missile before the Day of the Sun (birthday of founding leader Kim Il-sung) on Apr. 15, the US had apparently dispatched the USS Carl Vinson to the Korean Peninsula as a show of force. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced the cancellation of joint exercises with Australia that had been scheduled for Apr. 11, and Trump said on Apr. 12 that he was sending an “armada” to the Korean Peninsula, which ratcheted up tensions in the region. But on Apr. 18 we learned that a week later, on Apr. 15, the USS Carl Vinson was even further south than its starting point in Singapore, that the joint exercises with Australia had taken place on schedule and that the aircraft carrier was only now heading north.

Location of USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier

It’s unclear whether the Trump administration was waging psychological warfare on North Korea with a deliberate lie or whether this was the result of miscommunication within the US government. If it was a deliberate lie, then the US was the boy that cried wolf, which not only has an impact on Korean Peninsula issues but also erodes trust in American foreign policy across the board. Furthermore, this is not how the US should be treating its allies. Even if this was the result of miscommunication, it illustrates the chaotic governance of the Trump administration, which adds anxiety to a crisis situation.

But the South Korean Defense Ministry also played a part. When asked whether it had known about this, Ministry officials only repeated that “the US and South Korea are cooperating closely.” Since any visit by the USS Carl Vinson must be coordinated with the South Korean navy, the navy by necessity would have been aware of the situation. But the Ministry did not say anything until the American media picked up the story. This leads to suspicions that there may have been ulterior political motivations to raise tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

We understand that it would have been difficult for the Defense Ministry to declare that the USS Carl Vinson has not actually changed course before the US said anything. But Koreans’ lives were at stake here. The government ought to have asked the US to set the record straight, and if the US had not taken action, to go public with the facts. The Defense Ministry needs to put Koreans first, not cooperation with the US.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]