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USS Ronald Reagan in S.Korea for drill

SEOUL, March 22 (UPI) -- The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrived in South Korea Thursday for an annual joint military drill, Seoul officials said.

The most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier that holds 5,500 sailors and over 80 aircraft arrived in South Korea's southern port of Busan, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry. It will join the weeklong drill, dubbed RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration exercise) that will begin on Sunday.

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The exercise that tests the combined ability of South Korean and U.S. forces is one of several joint military maneuvers the allies have been conducting annually since the 1970s, according to Seoul's defense officials.

North Korea blasted the training as a "rehearsal" for an attack against the communist nation, amid lingering tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear drive.

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