Anger as US aircraft carrier heads for Korean waters

A US aircraft carrier group set off for Korean waters yesterday, a day after North Korea rained artillery shells on a South Korean island, in a move likely to enrage Pyongyang and unsettle its ally, China.

South Korea said the bodies of two civilians were found on the island after Tuesday’s attack, which is likely to stir up more resentment in the country against its prickly neighbour.

The nuclear-powered USS George Washington, which carries 75 warplanes and has a crew of over 6,000, left a naval base south of Tokyo and would join exercises with South Korea from Sunday to the following Wednesday, US officials in Seoul said.