South Korea, U.S. to start joint naval drill in Yellow Sea on Sunday SEOUL, Nov. 24 (Yonhap) -- "The USS George Washington carrier strike group will join Republic of Korea naval forces in the waters west of the Korean Peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct the next exercise," the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said in a statement.

While the four-day exercise has been previously planned well before the North's "unprovoked artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence," the USFK said in the statement. ROK is an acronym of South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea.

South Korea's defense ministry issued a similar statement, saying the exercise is defensive in nature and aimed at increasing deterrence against North Korea.
The U.S. forces also plan to mobilize battleships including the USS Cowpens, USS Shiloh, USS Stethem and USS Fitzgerald, according to the statement.

[link to english.yonhapnews.co.kr]

Staged event?