Pyongyang warns of ‘acute military confrontation’ after USS Alexandria submarine docks in South Korean port.

North Korea has said its military forces are ready to take any action necessary after a US Navy fast-attack nuclear submarine docked in a port in the South Korean city of Busan, and accused the United States of posing a grave threat to its national security.

North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency on Tuesday quoted the country’s Ministry of Defence as saying in a statement that the presence of a US nuclear submarine on the Korean Peninsula was a “clear expression of the US invariable hysteria for confrontation”.

“We express grave concern over the US dangerous hostile military act that can lead the acute military confrontation in the region around the Korean Peninsula to an actual armed force conflict,” the statement said.

The ministry said North Korea would “unhesitatingly exercise the legitimate right to punish the provokers”, as it accused the US of being a “hegemonic entity” which “blindly believes in domination through power”.

The USS Alexandria submarine docked at a Busan port on Monday for supplies and to provide a rest for its crew, according to South Korea’s Defence Ministry.

The stop will also provide a chance for the South Korean and US navies to exchange information and formulate a combined defence posture, the ministry added.

The USS Alexandria, part of the US’s Pacific Fleet, is a fast-attack, nuclear-powered submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

South Korea’s Armed Forces declined to comment on the North Korean government’s statement.

Pyongyang asserts that joint US-South Korea military activities are a threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula, and regards them as rehearsals for an invasion of North Korea.

On Sunday, North Korea warned of “undesirable consequences” after a series of exercises was conducted by the US and South Korean allies just 16 miles (25.7km) from North Korea’s border.

North Korea has stepped up its rhetoric since US President Donald Trump took office last month, despite the US president’s comments suggesting he intends to reach out to leader Kim Jong Un for direct talks.

Despite the US imposing heavy sanctions on Pyongyang, and occasional bouts of name-calling, Trump and Kim enjoyed an unusually strong rapport during the US president’s first term.

Trump met with Kim on three separate occasions between 2018 and 2019, and made history by becoming the first sitting US president to step onto North Korean soil since a 1953 armistice brought a de facto end to the Korean War.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies