The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, seen here leaving its homeport in Japan on Oct. 30, 2025, arrived in Busan, South Korea, on Nov. 5. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
The USS George Washington steamed into Busan Bay on Wednesday, making its first visit to the Korean Peninsula since 2014, according to South Korea’s navy.
The aircraft carrier arrived at Busan Naval Base alongside the guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS Milius and the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, the navy said in a news release.
The George Washington and its crew of approximately 4,700 sailors are expected to rest and replenish supplies, and the South Korean military plans to “further strengthen exchanges and cooperation” between the two countries, according to the release.
A spokesperson for South Korea’s navy said by phone Wednesday he was not authorized to speak with foreign news agencies and referred all additional questions to U.S. Forces Korea.
USFK directed inquiries to the U.S. 7th Fleet, which acknowledged Stars and Stripes’ request for comment but was unable to respond by Wednesday evening.
The George Washington’s arrival comes less than a week after it left its homeport at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, where it made a brief mid-deployment stop. While in Yokosuka, the carrier served as a platform for President Donald Trump’s address to troops on Oct. 28.
This marks the George Washington’s first stop in South Korea since 2014 and its first visit since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office on June 4. The last U.S. aircraft carrier to visit the peninsula was the USS Carl Vinson, which docked in Busan on March 2.
That stop prompted Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, to warn Washington and Seoul against testing “the will and ability” of the regime. She said the visit regarded Pyongyang’s security concerns and represented a “hostile policy” toward the North.
North Korea had not publicly commented on the George Washington’s arrival as of Wednesday afternoon.
