the situation in the korean peninsula is often in a state that goes out of control. the root cause lies in the united states. it does not abandon it its hostile policy toward prk but has an aggressive war exercise in and around the korean peninsula. the military exercise staged at largeoment is not only and aggressive fight it introduced various nuclear strategic assets and the murderous operations such as the nuclear carrier charges and bombers and stealth fighters. it has real warfare, military exercise and a hostile policy. unveiling its pretense of the exercise of defense. it is crystal clear to everybody that the united states -- is hell-bent on the dangerous cyber rattling. harassing the peace and stability on the korean peninsula and the rest of north asia. [indiscernible] the situation might lead to a breach of the peace. however, in dealing with the issue of the korean peninsula, the united states, united nations security council is now playing the role of covering up the high handedness of the .nited states in the name of the u.n., ignorance of justice and

the situation in the korean peninsula is often in a state that goes out of control. the root cause lies in the united states. it does not abandon it its hostile policy toward prk but has an aggressive war exercise in and around the korean peninsula. the military exercise staged at largeoment is not only and aggressive fight it introduced various nuclear strategic assets and the murderous operations such as the nuclear carrier charges and bombers and stealth fighters. it has real warfare, military exercise and a hostile policy. unveiling its pretense of the exercise of defense. it is crystal clear to everybody that the united states -- is hell-bent on the dangerous cyber rattling. harassing the peace and stability on the korean peninsula and the rest of north asia. [indiscernible] the situation might lead to a breach of the peace. however, in dealing with the issue of the korean peninsula, the united states, united nations security council is now playing the role of covering up the high handedness of the .nited states in the name of the u.n., ignorance of justice and

this led to agitation in the korean peninsula. the city council is planning to convene on a briefing. it is nothing but the behavior of these double standards and injustice to the tune of the united states. so far, the un security council takes issues over the righteous to safeguardres the sovereignty and the dignity and the national security by adopting the illegal resolutions. and its interests. the u.n. security council exercises its sovereignty by the independence of the country. its measures for self-defense provocations. the countries are allowed to conduct such a test-fire. this is the reality of the u.n. arena at the present. and recently, the south korean authority is now declaring a strike be hold of the north and hey will deploy a missile, however the firing range of 800 kilo meters for actual battle. but the united states and security council kept mum about it, as we expected. the international community is taking note of the fact that u.s. and u.n. security council have kept mum about those test res will while bringin

for a denuclearized korean peninsula. thank you very much. >> thank you, secretary general for that most helpful briefing. i shall now make a statement in my capacity as secretary of state of the united states. i thank you for the opportunity to address the security council. according to u.n. security council resolution 2321, the stated objective of this counsel is north korea's abandonment of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. for the past 20 years, well-intentioned diplomatic efforts to halt these programs have failed. it is only by first dismantling them that there can be peace, stability, and economic prosperity for all of northeast asia. with each successive detonation and missile test, north korea pushes northeast asia and the world closer to instability and broader conflict. the threat of a thornorth korea attack on seoul or tokyo is real. it's only a member of time before they develop the capability to strike the u.s. mainland. the dprk has claimed it plans to conduct such a strike. given that rhe

i know the president is hopeful that china will use its influence here on the korean peninsula with north korea to achieve that objective. we are heartened by some initial steps that china has taken in this regard. but we look for them to do more. will behope is that we working with china, working with our partners in south korea, working with japan and other allies to achieve this through peaceful means. as the president has made clear, we will never discuss military tactical decisions. the president has made clear and the administration has made here that we stand with the people of south korea. >> do you have a message for the ?eople we seekessage is that peace. america has always sought peace through strength. standinge here today with u.s. forces korea, standing with courageous soldiers is a message of resolve. the military of north korea should not mistake the resolve of the united states of america to stand with our allies. the lights between south korea and the united states is ironclad. we will fulfill that alliance for the sake of our people and the people of south korea and we

peninsula. it is an objective shared by our allies across the globe. our allies across the asia-pacific like china will continue to advance. i'm here to achieve that objective through peaceful means , through negotiations but all options are on the table as we continue to stand shoulder to of southith the people korea for the long-term prosperity and freedom of the people of south korea. it is very humbling for me to be here because my father served here in korea in the united states army more than 64 years ago. the general met with me this morning with a few reflections on my father service here. father's service here. i'm here to express of the timeless bond between the people of south korea and the united states of america. the bonds between our people are not simply strategic and military and economic but they are personal and they span generations of americans and south koreans and on that foundation we will see freedom through, we will see the security and prosperity of the people of south

we are in the deeply concerned regarding the korean peninsula. we need to de-escalate the situation. that is -- [inaudible] this should never be allowed for it to spiral out of control. mr. president, the activities of the d dprk are extremely dangerous. other members and in the combination of ballistic missiles by the d dprk are jolt. we need to find a lasting and comprehensive diplomatic solution for this long-standing issue through dialogue. in this regard, dprk's international commitment on denuclearization and its full compliance with the wishes of the security council is indeed indispensable. this would then pave the way for a peaceful solution. the dprk has responsibility to do this. in the meantime, it is important to reduce the tension of the current peninsula to ensure that there will not get out of hand by accident. but the dprk has to use the opportunity to over what of the west could be with war for which nobody would benefit. the full implementation by member states of the development of the security council and revolution of the dp

a denuclearized korean peninsula. >> mr. vice president, how is that thefferent policy trump administration is pursuing compared to the obama administration and why do you believe you can trust china at this time to follow through? half the imaginations have sought help from china and they often have not come through. president i know that trump is very hopeful that china will take action as necessary to bring about a change in policy in north korea and abandonment of its nuclear weapons program and its ballistic missile program. we are hopeful they will use the they haveary leverage an relationship they have with north korea in order to achieve that objective. president made very clear, either china will deal with this problem or the united states and our allies will. change, we have literally gone through decades. it was some quarter century ago that we first learned of the presence of nuclear weapons on the korean peninsula and the possession of north korea. there was an agreed framework, a period of strategic patience, b

states992, the united and our allies have stood together for a denuclearize korean peninsula. completedis to be through peaceful means. but all options are on the table. just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president. actions taken in syria and afghanistan. north korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the united states in this region. we will continue to deploy the missile defense system as a defensive measure. called for by the alliance and for the alliance. we will continue to evolve a comp rent a set of capabilities to ensure the capabilities of south korea. and as the secretary of defense made clear not long ago, we will defeat any attack and we will meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective response. language]ng foreign vice president pence: strategic patience has been the approach of the last american administration and beyond. decades, the two united states and our allies have worked to peacefully dismantle north korea's nuclear program and

regarding armada sailing to the korean peninsula. we have sean spicer with the statement. >> we are sending an armada. very powerful. we have submarines. very powerful. far more powerful than the aircraft carrier. that i can tell you. >> the statement that was put out was the "carl vinson" group is headed to the korean peninsula. it is heading to the korean peninsula. >> it is headed there now. it wasn't headed there last week. >> that's not what we said. we said it is heading there. >> the president believed he may have spoken to quickly on the location of the vessel. >> the president said we have an armada going to the peninsula. it is a fact. it is happening. >> i don't want to get caught up in semantic debate, tal. the president said we are sending armada there. that is not false. sean spicer is right. what is the problem with the way the pentagon handled this and what is it indicative of? >> it is a question of timing. on the campaign trail, donald trump was known for being loose and saying things and throwing them out and see h

on the korean peninsula. paula hancocks is in seoul at the airbase with and up close look. >> reporter: dave and allison, this is max thunder, a massive operation in south korea. there is more than 80 aircrafts involved in this. that's more than 1,500 people. we know that it's routine. we know it's annual. we are told by the lt. col. in charge they weren't actually carrying out these drills, they don't have a spec enemy in mind. given the tensions on the korean peninsula, this is inevitably going to be more in the spotlight. the massive fighting power. it is not what north korea leaks to see. every single year when it happens, they become angry. they believe this is a dress rehearsal for an invasion, even though the united states say they are defensive in nature. just never mind what's happening on the peninsula at this point. north korea said the u.s. pushed the situation to a point where a nuclear war can break out at any time. china as well suggests these drills should not be hang, saying if the u.s. halts

situation on the korean peninsula. >> that is the north korean building, that is the equivalent to this one. >> those are guard posts, those are north wing guard posts. >> the concrete line is clear. >> there are two soldiers, they have another one there. >> listen very carefully. >> this is to the east of here. >> this building over here is the same purpose as the freedom house. >> there is another building in front. that one is taller. their flagure that is taller than ours. other posturing things. >> we're going to start the meeting. [indiscernible] >> we will go in, once their set -- they are sets. vice president pence: thank you all for being here. representingto be president trump here. to stand here in this place, to be able to give the commitment to ourunited states long-term alliance with the people of south korea is a great honor for me. to our shoulders here and the soldiers of south korea, we commend them for their vigilance. historicg this frontier our freedom. of theess the resolve people of the united states of in the to stand together months and years ahead with the peop

we are absolutely united in our determination to achieve a nuclear free korean peninsula. that has been the goal of the global community for many years. the time has come now to realize it. you asked about the south china sea, and i would repeat what we have said consistently for many years which is that australia has no territorial claims in the south china sea. we are committed to freedom of navigation and overflight. any territorial disputes should be dissolved -- should be taking care of peaceably and in accordance of international law. we call on all parties to refrain from accidents that would exacerbate tensions. in particular, we call on all parties to refrain from militarizing any features in the south china sea, any disputed features in particular in the south china sea. the critical thing to understand as both the vice president and i have observed, is the prosperity of everybody in this region and every nation has been underpinned by decades ,f peace and stability supported by the strong commitment of the united states to this region. that is why we so welcome

in the 1990s, a nuclearfree korean peninsula. in the 19905, it a nuclearfree korean peninsula. in the 1990s, it was the subject of negotiations and agreed framework was arrived at. six party talks would follow. sometime later, the last administration embraced a policy of strategic patience, all along the way, the regime in north korea answer the entreaties of the world community is with broken promises. and with continued pursuit, a headlong pursuit, off their nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions. and as president trump has made clear, and i've made clear asi has made clear, and i've made clear as i travel on his behalf throughout this era, —— area, but you're off resista nce this era, —— area, but you're off resistance is over. under the present leadership and working closely with our allies, with prime minister turnbull, and my meetings with acting president wong in south korea and others, the united states is determined to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear, working with all of our allies, and china, to ensure that we achieve a nuclear free korean peni

tensions have been very high on the korean peninsula this week. there was a great deal of expectation that kim jong-un, north korea's dictator, would try and pull off some kind of provocative action. there had been suggestions coming out of washington, coming out of the u.s., that evidence shows that country is ready to pull off its sixth nuclear test at any moment. there had been some speculation they could conduct a test like that to coincide with the holiday that they celebrated in north korea yesterday, which is the most important day on the calendar. that didn't come to bear, but when day broke in this region, there was what is being called this failed missile launch. the big question for everyone was how the u.s. would react if pyongyang decided to carry through with some kind of provocative measure. we'll remind our viewers here, ivan, that they have moved u.s. warships into the region, the waters off the korean peninsula, as a deterrent against provocation from pyongyang. all indications we're getting from washington right now are that the

was the ship really headed to the korean peninsula at the time or was it headed some place else? and the headlines overseas asking, was the white house lying? we learn tonight that in fact at the time those ships were headed in the other direction. here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: the "uss carl vinson" strike group is finally on its way toward the korean peninsula today. but the trump administration is now under fire for providing misleading information about the carrier's movement for over a week. "trump's lies on the 'carl vinson,'" declared a leading south korean newspaper today, reading "xi jinping and putin must be laughing," is the u.s. "bluffing" its north korean policy? last week, with the world on watch for a possible north korean nuclear test, president trump was talking tough. >> north korea is a problem, the problem will be taken care of. >> reporter: the president would not reveal his strategy but defense secretary james mattis said the "vinson" was changing course, heading to the korean peninsula. and the president said this -

translation: it doesn't matter whether the americans make the situation on the korean peninsula tense. it doesn't matter. we feel safe because we have the great leader, kimjong—un. this week, the current ruler, kim jong—un, held this meeting where his late grandfather was honoured. he is also thought to be planning a massive military parade as a powerful tribute, and a message of defiance. children sing. this is a country where art and armaments are blended in singular purpose, to demonstrate to the watching world that its nuclear ambitions will not be stopped. john sudworth, bbc news, pyongyang. north korea's army has promised what it called a "merciless" response to any us provocation, reflecting growing tension about the country's nuclear and weapons programmes. china has called for calm, saying it fears conflict could break out at any moment. the appeal came just hours after america dropped a huge bomb on so—called islamic state militants in afghanistan. our security correspondent frank gardner reports. a powerful armada, in the words of president trump. this is the us navy'

troops stationed on the korean peninsula. if something happened to the kim jong-un regime, they may unify under south korean leadership. would that mean there are tens of thousands of u.s. troops on china's border? that's something they would not want at all. yes, they don't like kim jong-un very much in terms of how provocative he can be, but china has a high level of strategic interest to keep a north korea that's hostile to the u.s. in power in that part of the world. >> matt, it's worth noting that in the years they've been in power, neither kim jong-un or chinese leader xi jinping have ever met face to face. matt rivers live from beijing. our man in china. thank you very, very much. i want to go back to south korea, where alexander field is standing by. again, mike pence, the u.s. vice president, just arrived in south korea. i guess the big question is, alex, what can the u.s. really do if it wants to stop north korea from carrying out another nuclear test short of triggering another war? >> reporter: yeah, what can they

redeployment to the korean peninsula. government officials tell cnn sending the warships is a provocation by the u.s. >> now, this is not an unusual military move. the u.s. often shows off its military force in the region. the trump administration is now defending its decision to send the strike group. >> it's prudent to do it, isn't it? north korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. this is a road, regime that is now a nuclear capable regime and president trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen denuclearization of the peninsula. the president has asked us to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat to the american people to our allies and partners in the region. >> alexandria field has been following this story. we know that he's often reacted strongly to america shows a force in the region. do you think this is going to increase tensions in north korea? >> it will undoubtedly increase tension. of course, as you point out, we'll see the return to the

[ speaking foreign language ] >> thank you, josh. >> denuclearization of the korean peninsula has been the long standing policy of the united states of america of south korea, of japan, of china, and it's been the long standing policy of nations across the world. for more than a generation, we've seen the very failure of dialogue at large. first we remember the agreed framework of the 199s, then we remembered the six party talks and with good-faith efforts around the world, again, and, again, north korea met those efforts at resolution with broken promises and more provocations. that's why we've said the era of strategic patience is over. and president trump has made it very clear, policy of the united states of america will be to reach out to our allies in the region here in japan where i just had a productive conversation with prime minster abe on this topic. yesterday in soerng wheuth korei met with officials of the assembly. president trump recently met with president xi and president of china reaffirmed china's commitment to a nuclear free korean peninsula. it is our belief that b

navy strike group is already on its way to the korean peninsula because of growing concern over north korea's missile tests. >> plus, russia is slamming u.s. ambassador to the u.n. nikki haley calling her comments on syria sabotage after she said, quote, there is no way to find political solution with the assad at the head of the regime. all of this as secretary of state rex tillerson gets ready to meet russian foreign minister in lavrov earlier this week. >>> breaking news out of egypt. at least 21 people are dead after a bombing at a church there. >> 50 were injured north of cairo. you're looking at here the first video, the aftermath from inside the church when the explosion happened. we want to warn you, this may be difficult to watch. ♪ >> there you're watching video of the ceremony for palm sunday services and then, obviously, went to bars in black when the blast happened. security officers are digging through the debris right now. it may be a little difficult to make out when you're seeing here but concrete, wood, paper, it's all part of what is left behind after the bombing.

strike last week informs what is happening there along the korean peninsula. let's bring in another voice to talk about the trump administration's foreign policy moves, senior counterterrorism analyst phillip mudd. let's talk about how does the president's decision to strike there at that air base in syria change how america's foe, albuquerqand its allies in namely kim jong-un, how they view this president? >> i think one of the questions you have to face what is next? i think there is overinterpretation of what has happened in syria and i think the statements out of the united states, including u.n. permanent representative nikki haley are too aggressive. let's be clear about what happened here. we are six years into a civil war and 400,000 people dead, maybe more. 5 million renfuges. in one instance where the syrians used chemical weapons against their own people we september in five tomahawk to one air base and we hit one air base. all of a sudden, we are fast forwarding into saying assad can't stay. i think people looking at what is happening in syria righ

navy aircraft carrier group is heading for waters near the korean peninsula. a pentagon official telling cnn the deployment is in direct response to the recent military moves particularly the launch of a scud missile. fill us in on what u.s. military officials are now saying about the carrier group movement. >> it's one of the task forces. it was conducting an exercise and this is classified as directly in response to the provocation in the explosion but that was the latest of a series of tests by pyongyang, responses from rex tillerson saying the u.s. would no longer speak of these items. this is an action being take nen response to the provocation. >> what are they hoping to accomplish by this action? >> reporter: well, the military does this from time to time. it's a show of force. sometimes they'll have one of their bomber aircraft do a fly over the pen iinsula in respons a demonstration to pyongyang that the u.s. commitment remains steadfast. it's part of the diplomatic game but it is definitely a considerable show of force this time around. >> all right,

a us navy strike group is already heading towards the korean peninsula. the us national security adviser said the deployment was prudent, and criticised north korea as a rogue, nuclear—armed nation. david campa nale reports. the carl vincent strike group, an aircraft carrier, a guided missile cruiser, and others, had been due to visit australia. instead, it is going full steam to the western pacific ocean, where it recently conducted exercises with the south korean navy. as well as massive strike power, the carrier group has the ability to intercept ballistic missiles. president trump made it clear to beijing last week that he is prepared to act alone against pyongyang is necessary. the decision to send missiles to syria a reminder of his result. if you violate international agreements and failed to live up to commitments, you become a threat to other countries, and at some point, responsible action has to be taken. north korea's most recent rocket test, condemned by south korea and japan, came on the eve of china's president's visit to america. and it

not necessarily sent to korean peninsula. even the defense secretary claiming it was moving toward the korean peninsula. can the united states afford a miscommunication like that when dealing with a threat from north korea? >> no. cannot. this is one of the fundamental problems of this administration. this last five days, we have seen the administration shift positions on fundamental issues at least five major fundamental issues they have shifted positions on. so the world doesn't really know what they mean. this is one for example, call it miscommunications, which i suppose it is, but the rest of the world says what is going on over there. do they have any idea what they are doing? one day it is yes, next day is no. people in between are wondering. with regard it korea, it is a very, very dangerous situation. you talk about a hair trigger, that's what exists on the korean peninsula. >> dmz, maybe the most dangerous spot on earth right now. you're on the armed services committee. as you know, pentagon describes missile defens

now on the korean peninsula means this is in the spotlight. we know north korea blamed the united states for pushing to almost the brink of war. rhetoric on both sides very strong. from this point of view, people involved in the particular exercise say it is important to know how to work with each other in case of a war. this is as close of a simulation to a possible war situation. north korea does not like the military options. they see this as a practice for invading north korea. the u.s. says they are defensive. china doesn't like them either. they suggested to the u.s. and south korea that if they hold these drills, north korea may suspend nuclear and missile program. it is not a new suggestion and suggestion that the united states accepts. paula hancocks, cnn. >> thank you, paula. back here at home, is it possible the gop plan for health care reform is back on the table? president trump wants agreement by the end of next week. can that happen? that's next on "new day." when heartburn hits, fight back fast with tums smoothies. it starts di

donald trump sent what he called a powerful armada to the korean peninsulas as a show of strength and after meeting chinese leader, he said the us was prepared to go alone. this parade will be watched very, very closely, followed by many experts in the region. where there are test is imminent or a missile launch may be happening, thatis missile launch may be happening, that is what the thought is in the next 2a hours. of course, we don't know what is going to happen but what we do know for now is that there is a huge show of strength in pyongyang. our correspondentjohn sudworth is in pyongyang with a group of foreign journalists invited to witness the event — and his movements are being closely monitored. he filed his report before the parade began. they sing. in north korea, the spectre of war looms large over daily life. these girls are singing about being soldiers... while, not far away, real ones crowd into a shrine to the country's founding president, general kim il—sung. these are scenes akin to a religious pilgrimage, but of course, in honour of a still ruling family dynast

you said across korean peninsula. thank you very much indeed for joining us. >>> now still to come on "cnn newsroom," police and protesters face off after another shocking decision by president madura. stay with us for more on that. hey allergy muddlers are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® it's starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. >>> welcome back, everybody. more on our breaking news out of egypt as we continue of course to follow the aftermath of that air strike on syria. we understand from an egyptian media, there has been an attack on a coptic church in the city of tanta north of cairo, a christian coptic church there. state media reporting 13 dead, dozens more wounded. we're waiting a statement from the interior ministry, but for the coptic community, this is a terrible blow once again after a similar attack in cairo on a church there, a chapel adjoining a cathedral. today is sund

carrier strike group going to the korean peninsula. so told to a newspaper -- to a wire service on saturday. confirmed on a sunday, shows on sunday morning, confirmed at the white house on tuesday. the same day at the pentagon, james mattis, the one everyone is comforted by, the adult in the room. that same day, tuesday, he confirms at the pentagon, that strike group is on its way to the korean peninsula. >> she's just on her way up there because that's where we thought it was most prudent to have her at this time. there's not a specific demand signal or specific reason why we're sending her up there. >> it's just unusual for us to know about a ship movement in advance. that was sort of what got everyone's attention. so why was that? why was it put out in advance? was it just to signal to north korea that there would be a show of presence there? >> i believe it's because she was originally headed in one direction for an exercise and we canceled our role in that exercise and that's what became publicly explained why she wasn't in that e

and, again, that carrier group is on its way to the korean peninsula. so what shape will the message be this time? we are live at the pentagon with details. ships off the shore can bring the hurt. what happens now? >> well, this is a a very tailored message yet again that the trump administration is using, chris. aircraft carrier strike group. everyone throws the words around. what's it mean? aircraft carrier is a big visible message to the north koreans, but militarily, not as much use if there was a north korean provocation. it's the u.s. navy ships that have missiles on board that could shoot down a north korean ballistic missile launch. that's where the real message is. that's what the north koreans know. the u.s. watching this carefully because north korea could launch more missiles, conduct an underground nuclear test, a visible message from a president who said he doesn't like to signal what he's doing with the military, and like we have talked all morning, the same kind of messaging going on in syria. that strike against that air base did not de

the alliance is the lynch pen on korean peninsula. the commitment to south korea by the united states is iran clad and immutable and under president trump's leadership, i know our alliance will even be stronger. our nations will be safer and the asia pacific will be more secure. >> it's more evident than to commit the most dangerous and threat to peace than security, the regime in north korea. since 1992, the united states and our allies have stood together for a denuclearized korean peninsula. we hope to achieve this objective through peaceable means, but all options are on the table. just in the past two weeks the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in syria and afghanistan. north korea will do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the united states in this region. we will continue to deploy the bad missile defense system as defensive measure, called for by the alliance and for the alliance. we will continue to evolve a comprehensive set of capabilities to secu

on the korean peninsula. what do you make of what you've seen from north korea in the past several day, how serious is the threat right nowen a the saber rattling. >> flamboyant bluster from the north korean leader is nothing new. that's part of the dance that we've gone through is north korea has trood tried extort for survival from other nations it tries to behave slightly better and the norm in order to get food, energy and other resources into the country. that's not there. but clearly kim jong un is trying to show he is not going to plink. donald trump is not prone to blinking. i think the big piece of this i find bizarre is the notion that china which has completely dissimilar strategic object he was than the united states in this, that we're pretending that china is going to become a flak for the united states in moving north korea to the corner we want. china does not want a war in the korean peninsula. but china is not going to cripple a country to the degree that we might like. and i think the other

allies there in that region on the korean peninsula? we don't have to go very far to think of japan. we don't have to go very far to think of taiwan as well. >> reporter: going first to the slbms that you're talking about that were on display in the parade yesterday, it's not the first time we've seen. they tested one about a year ago, but it's the first time it was seen on parade. what was new according to experts was the appearance of what might be an intercontinental ballistic missile, the long range missile that kim jong-un has threatened there close to being able to test and may one day p capable of reaching the united states. so in terms of a lot of the tension and speculation that's been mounting over the past couple of weeks that's brought us to this current security environment, it was the expectation, the threat of either an icbm test or a nuclear test that has prompted the reaction that we've seen over the last week or so by the united states, japan and south korea. japan and south korea are always looking at these scenarios

anchor: the situation on the korean peninsula is described as a tinderbox. a long time and list has been analyzing it for decades. pyongyang has threatened to strike that before. is it different this time? >> not different. it is almost normal procedure that any action provokes a reaction from north korea. this time, maybe the vocabulary is stronger. that is simply because president trump is using stronger words. anchor: he does use strongly what. if the u.s. resorted to a primitive strike, what would that mean for the region? >> anymore means catastrophe. in case president trump would take some military action, first of all, all of the possibilities are limited in scope because if it is real war, it would be catastrophe because the whole region would be in flames. hopefully, he does not take any military action. if he thinks he can have some warning action just like in syria, that is also a big danger because he will draw in china. anchor: china is north korea's only factor. they have warned conflict could break out at any moment. what is china willing to d

>> denuclearization of the korean peninsula has been a long-standing policy of united states of america, of south korea, japan, china and it's been a long-standing policy of nations across the world. for more than a generation we've seen the very failure of dialogue at large. first we remember the agreed framework of the 1990s then we remember the six party talks and with good faith efforts with nations around the world again and again north korea met those efforts and resolutions with broken promises and more publications. that's why we've said the era of strategic patience is over and president trump has made it very clear the policy of the united states of america will be to reach out to our allies in the region, here in japan where i just had a productive conversation with prime minister on this topic. yesterday in south korea where i met with officials of the national assembly and acting president, president trump recently met with president of china and reaffirm china's commitment to a nuclear free korean peninsula. it is our belief that by bringing together the family of nations

when the whole world thought it was moving towards the korean peninsula. listen to sean spicer just a few moments ago. >> what part is misleading? i'm trying to figure that out. we were asked a question about what signal it sent. we answered the question what signal it sent. i'm not the one who commented on time. >> what's misleading is people thought it was headed there now and now it's going to be there weeks later. >> again. i understand the question, right? but what i'm getting at is, it was announced that it was going. it will be there. we were asked simply a question on that. i think all other questions should be asked of the department of defense. >> you spent years as a white house correspondent. what did you think of that? >> well, the last piece of that is so interesting because dod screwed this up. that was where the miscommunication was. and the white house was not in a position to pull it back fast enough. or if they were, they decided not to. this seems to be more miscommunication, more error, but i think what's disconcerting about it is, you

had a, quote, armada heading for the korean peninsula when frankly it wasn't heading there at all. let's go straight to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, let's start with the russian jets buzzing alaska. how is the pentagon interpreting this action? >> reporter: well, jake, the key question is is it a military threat to the united states? is it a military threat to all of us? the answer right now is probably not. these russian planes haven't flown up there in about two years, but are they planning to attack the united states? nobody really thinks that. they are at least 36 miles offshore, close but not in u.s. airspace. they have got intercepted, the u.s. send aircraft right up away and they keep eyes out all the time and escorted them back out. they in fact turned around pretty quick and went back towards russia, but question is, of course, what is vladimir putin's intention? what message is he sending? is he just poking at president tump saying, ha, i can fly near your coastline without anybody really stopping me, so we'll have to see how it all sorts out. not a

foreignking language] translator: in particular at this time, when the security on the korean peninsula is dire. due to north korea's nuclear missile provocations. vice presidents visit shows the stance of the new administration . as such, i believe that vice president pence's visit is timely and meaningful. kyo-ahn: [speaking foreign language] translator: today, the vice president and i shared the view that through cooperation and collaboration, the u.s. alliance has grown into a indispensable linchpin for a successful strategic alliance that will allow us to resolve global challenges. we have reconfirmed our unwavering will to continue to make our alliance even stronger. hwang: [speaking foreign language] translator: 10 days ago, on april 10, i spoke with president trump about ways to work together going forward. today, with vice president pence, we understand the gravity and urgency of north korea's missile threat. we will double our threats to further tighten the global pressure on north korea. we will thoroughly implement sanctions on the unwavering principle of denying north korea

it is headed to the korean peninsula. it will arrive there -- >> it's headed there now, though. >> what's that? >> it's headed there now. it wasn't headed there last week. >> that's not what we ever said. we said it was heading there, and it was headed there. >> i'm joined by lawrence korb, who served as assistant secretary of defense during the reagan administration as a retired naval reserve captain. mr. korb, i do not understand how this happened at a basic level, how something as important as the whereabouts and current direction of a carrier group meant to send a signal to a nuclear power was somehow mangled through some game of telephone. >> yeah. it is incomprehensible, but unfortunately it's very typical of the way this administration makes decisions. the day -- on april 8th, the commander in chief of the pacific, the combatant commander, said it's on its way up to the korean peninsula. the 11, 12, 13, 14, you had mattis, the secretary of defense, you had sean spicer, you had the president all saying, you know, it

it's now north of indonesia today headed towards the korean peninsula. it will arrive in the coming days. it will operate between the korean peninsula and japan conducting air operations. it will be a visible signal to both north korea and to the allies in the region. it will also be a visible signal to china which the trump administration is trying to encourage to apply its pressure to the north koreans. the chinese will not be happy about u.s. aircraft carrier so close. they'd rather the u.s. stay away. the carrier is there, a sign of pressure. i don't know where to even, you know, begin or wrap this up. it's been a long tail of miscommunication, miscommunication in public affairs, media relations with the pentagon to the press corps. but the facts, the actual military facts simply have not changed since day one. brooke? >> i hear you loud and clear. barbara starr, thank you. to use barbara's word, robert, this miscommunication, what message does that send to north korea? >> well, this miscommunication highlights the risk of miscalculation in the curre