The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier arrived at a naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday, South Korea's Navy said, hours after North Korea notified Japan of a plan to launch a space rocket in the coming days.

The nuclear-powered vessel of Carrier Strike Group 1 entered the naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in a show of US military might amid heightened tensions over North Korea's plan to launch the rocket between Wednesday and Dec. 1.

It would mark Pyongyang's third such attempt this year after two botched launches to put a military spy satellite into orbit in May and August, respectively, and would come despite South Korea's warning Monday to stop preparations for the launch.

"The US Carrier Strike Group 1's visit demonstrates the South Korea-US alliance's solid combined defense posture and firm resolve to respond to advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats," Rear Adm. Kim Ji-hoon, director of the maritime operations center at the ROK Fleet, was quoted as saying.

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, the official name for South Korea.

The USS Carl Vinson, which last visited South Korea in 2017, is the third US aircraft carrier to visit the country this year, following the USS Nimitz's arrival in March and the USS Ronald Reagan in October.

The visits came as Washington seeks to bolster its defense commitment to South Korea against evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

In April, the United States pledged to further enhance the "regular visibility" of its strategic assets to South Korea in the Washington Declaration issued by President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden. (Yonhap)