President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday boarded the USS Theodore Roosevelt which is anchored in Busan and said the ship’s port visit symbolizes the U.S.’ ironclad defense commitment to South Korea, including strong extended deterrence. 

Yoon said the visit by the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered, aircraft carrier is a measure to implement the Washington Declaration that he and U.S. President Joe Biden adopted in April of last year before stressing that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is stronger than ever and one of the greatest in the world which could defeat any enemy. 

Yoon is the third president to board a U.S. aircraft carrier after former presidents Park Chung-hee and Kim Young-sam. 

The carrier, which has entered South Korea’s port for the first time, is set to take part in the first multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise which will see the participation of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.