North Korea raises eyebrows with threat to shoot down US surveillance planes in airspace breach
Ben Madilynn
North Korea’s recent threat to shoot down US spy planes that violated its airspace has raised concerns over the escalating tensions. North Korea, a reclusive country, has always had a strict control of its airspace. Any foreign violation is viewed as a provocative act. North Korea is also determined to protect their sovereignty and national safety, even at the cost of increased military confrontations.
North Korea’s regime has reacted amid increased tensions in the region over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. US allies and the US have closely monitored North Korea’s actions, conducting surveillance flights for intelligence. North Korea views such actions as a direct danger to its national safety and considers them a violation. This warning is a reminder to North Korea that it will take aggressive measures to protect its airspace. It further increases concerns about possible military clashes in the area.
North Korea said that the United States violated their airspace Monday with surveillance flights. Pyongyang, it was claimed, had exercised restraint and could have shot such flights down.
A spokesperson of the North Korean Ministry of National Defense, who declined to be named in a KCNA statement, claimed that the U.S.’ provocative military action was bringing the Korean peninsula ever closer to a nuclear war.
The report also cited U.S. surveillance planes and drones. It said Washington escalated tensions when it sent a nuclear sub near the Peninsula.
“There is no guarantee that such a shocking accident as the downing of the U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen” The spokesperson stated that the waters to the east of Korea were abounding with fish.
In its statement, the North Korea cited previous incidents where it had shot down or intercepted U.S. aircraft near the border with South Korea as well as off the coast. North Korea has complained many times about U.S. spy planes flying near the peninsula.
The U.S. Military stationed in South Korea did not respond immediately to a comment request.
South Korea’s military has denied North Korea’s claims of violating airspace. According to the report, U.S. surveillance aircraft fly routine reconnaissance missions around the peninsula.
The United States’ move to introduce strategic nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula is “the most undisguised nuclear blackmail” KCNA stated that the threats against North Korea, regional countries, and peace are grave.
“Whether the extreme situation, desired by nobody, is created or not on the Korean peninsula depends on the future action of the U.S., and if any sudden situation happens … the U.S. will be held totally accountable for it,” I said.
This year, the U.S. Aircraft Carrier and Heavy Bombers were involved in air and naval drills between South Korean and U.S. forces. Last month, a U.S. cruise missile sub powered by nuclear power also visited Busan in South Korea.
In its statement, the North denounced a U.S. decision to send a nuclear-armed strategic submarine to the Korean Peninsula for the first since 1981.
The leaders of South Korea, and the U.S., agreed in April that a U.S. Navy ballistic missile sub with nuclear weapons would visit South Korea, for the first since the 1980s. However, no date has been set for this visit.
This was part of an American plan to increase the deployment of strategic assets to respond more effectively to North Korea’s weapons tests and threats in defense of South Korea, its ally.
A U.S. B-52 Strategic Bomber participated in June in air-military drills with South Korea as a show-of-force following the failed launch by North Korea of a spy satellite towards the end of May.
‘Determination to deter’
Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea said it was the right time to show “the international community’s determination to deter North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is stronger than North Korea’s desire to develop nuclear weapons,” Written comments to the Associated Press, published on Monday.
Yoon will attend the NATO Summit in Lithuania next week, where he’ll be expected to ask for greater cooperation from NATO members regarding North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat. His office confirmed this.
