US Navy strike group move towards Korean peninsula

A US Navy strike group is moving towards the Korean peninsula in a show of force aimed at North Korea.

The battle group is making its way from Singapore toward the western Pacific Ocean.

Earlier this month North Korea tested a liquid-fuelled ballistic missile, hailing a significant advance in its weapons programme.

President Donald Trump and South Korea's leader, acting president Hwang Kyo-Ahn, spoke by phone on Saturday and the White House said the two agreed to stay in close contact about North Korea and other issues.

The US Pacific Command directed the carrier group to sail north to the western Pacific after departing Singapore on Saturday.

The group includes the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, with support from several missile destroyers and missile cruisers.

Deployed from San Diego to the western Pacific since January 5, the strike group has participated in numerous exercises with the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and Republic of Korea Navy, various maritime security initiatives, and routine patrol operations in the South China Sea.