SEOUL – A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, one of the largest in the world, departed for two days of joint U.S.-South Korean exercises in international waters near the Korean peninsula this morning, a dispatch from the U.S. 7th fleet said.

The drills, which last until Tuesday, are going ahead despite vocal protest from North Korea.

“Nimitz’s entry into Pusan Port against the backdrop of the extreme tension prevailing on the Korean Peninsula is not a simple issue to be overlooked,” the KCNA said this morning.

The Nimitz is taking part in “routine carrier operations”  designed to “strengthen alliances and partnerships,” in