North Korea issues warning as US strike group heads to Korean Peninsula

North Korea has issued a forceful response to the deployment of a US naval strike group to the region, saying it would counter "reckless acts of aggression" with "whatever methods the US wants to take."

In a statement provided to CNN by officials in North Korea, Pyongyang said the "current grim situation" justified its "self-defensive and pre-emptive strike capabilities with the nuclear force at the core."

"We will make the US fully accountable for the catastrophic consequences that may be brought about by its high-handed and outrageous acts," the statement said.

The Pentagon sent the 97,000-ton USS Carl Vinson with an escort of a guided-missile cruiser and two destroyers after the latest missile test by North Korea last week.

On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to attend the country's Supreme People's Assembly, a high-profile gathering of the nation's leading political figures.

The meeting comes days before North Korea celebrates the April 15 birthday of deceased leader Kim Il Sung, Kim's grandfather -- amid speculation that Pyongyang will mark the occasion with by testing missiles or possibly a nuclear device.

Carrying more than 5,000 sailors and 60 aircraft, the USS Carl Vinson is escorted by guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy and the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain.

"While at face value harsh and aggressive, the North Korea statement issued Tuesday is no more confrontational than usual, probably more in the range of 7 or 8 on North Korea's rhetorical volume knob.

But that does not dilute their message, or express a sign of willingness to compromise. The language states the DPRK's viewpoint quite simply, without any sign of softening or hardening of their already very firmly stated positions.

This is not the first, second or even third time the Carl Vinson has visited these waters over the years. The current tasking of the aircraft carrier group will not have any success in persuading Pyongyang to halting or even slowing down its nuclear weapons program, everything points to it having the opposite effect."

The group's ships and air wing provide significant firepower and strike capability, but balancing the available military options with the potential of retaliation from North Korea presents a complicated scenario for US President Donald Trump.