(Photo : JORGE SILVA/AFP via Getty Images)
North Korea threatened to shoot down any American surveillance planes that violate its airspace.
Kim Yo Jong, the dominant sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused a US military surveillance plane of entering the country's Exclusive Economic Zone eight times.
Kim warned that US forces would face a "very catastrophic flight" if they continue their "illegal intrusion," reiterating an accusation that US surveillance aircraft had violated North Korean airspace on Monday. It added that such flights could be fired down.
North Korea Warns to Shoot Down US Air Force Planes
Prior to this, the Pentagon dismissed Pyongyang's accusations of airspace violations and stated that the US military had complied with international law.
Per US News, Sabrina Singh, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, told reporters, "Therefore, these are merely allegations."
On Monday, Kim accused the US Air Force of invading the North's "economic maritime zone" off the east coast of the Korean peninsula, high above the ocean. 435 kilometers (270 miles) to the east of Tongchon, Gangwon Province, and 276 kilometers south of Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province.
The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a nation, which extends 200 nautical miles from its 12-nautical-mile territorial zone, is a right to exploit marine resources but does not grant sovereignty over the water's surface or airspace above it.
A North's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson stated that the United States has "intensified espionage activities beyond wartime levels" by conducting "provocative" flights for eight consecutive days this month.
They added that a reconnaissance aircraft had violated its airspace "multiple times" over the East Sea, with the warning also coming after the United States flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers near the peninsula during joint exercises with South Korea.
The spokesperson referenced past incidents in which Pyongyang fired down US aircraft and warned that the United States would pay for its 'desperately orchestrated' air espionage.
The statement also condemned the planned deployment of US strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula, calling it "the most blatant nuclear coercion" against North Korea and a severe threat to regional and international security.
US Military Activities in Korean Peninsula
A cording to Daily Mail, Washington announced in April that a nuclear-armed ballistic submarine would visit a South Korean port for the first time in decades but did not specify a date.
This year, North Korea has conducted multiple launches violating international sanctions, including tests of its most potent intercontinental ballistic missiles and an attempt in May to launch a military surveillance satellite.
President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea has increased defense cooperation with the United States, mounting joint military exercises with advanced stealth aircraft and prominent US strategic assets.
Yoon is scheduled to attend a NATO summit this week in Lithuania, seeking stronger cooperation with NATO members regarding North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile threats, according to his office.
Yoon will attend the summit for the second consecutive year, highlighting his efforts to strengthen ties with the world's largest military alliance. South Korea confronts various security challenges, including North Korea's nuclear program and the strategic rivalry between the United States and China.
North Korea has conducted over 100 missile tests and openly threatened to use nuclear weapons in prospective conflicts with South Korea and the United States if it does not obtain reliable nuclear weapons.
In response to North Korea's missile tests, oon, a conservative who assumed office in 2022, bolstered South Korea's missile capabilities and expanded military exercises with the United States.
In April, Yoon and Biden announced plans to bolster the deterrence capabilities of their respective nations. This included the periodic mooring of a US nuclear-armed submarine in South Korea and forming a new bilateral nuclear consultative group, whose first meeting is scheduled for the following week in Seoul.
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