North Korea has threatened military action against American spy planes operating off its east coast, according to its state media. This comes as a United States submarine, capable of shooting nuclear ballistic missiles, plans to visit South Korea for the first time in four decades.
The North has consistently expressed its displeasure with the United States’ military reconnaissance activities around the Korean Peninsula. In the past few days, it has issued three consecutive statements threatening retaliation against what it deems “provocative aerial espionage” by American spy planes and drones.
On Monday, the North’s Ministry of National Defense accused an American strategic reconnaissance plane of illegally intruding into its “inviolable airspace” off its east coast this month.
“There is no guarantee that such a shocking accident as the downing of the U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen,” it said, as reported by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
In two separate statements issued later on Monday and early on Tuesday, Kim Yo-jong, the sister and spokeswoman for North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, also stated that American reconnaissance planes committed “a grave encroachment upon the sovereignty and security” of her country by flying over its 200-nautical mile economic water zone.
Ms. Kim warned that a “shocking” or “critical” incident would occur if such illegal intrusions continued.
To emphasize the threat, North Korea referred to a 1969 incident in which it shot down an American EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft, resulting in the deaths of all 31 people on board.
Both the Pentagon and the South Korean military dismissed the North Korean statements as baseless accusations. However, officials and analysts in the region are concerned that the North’s escalating rhetoric could lead to military provocations.
“We always operate responsibly and safely and in accordance with international law, so those accusations are just accusations,” said Sabrina Singh, a deputy Pentagon press secretary, on Monday. Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, urged North Korea to “refrain from escalatory actions.”
A country can claim the right to exploit marine resources in its exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from its 12 nautical-mile territorial waters. However, it does not hold sovereignty over the zone’s surface and the airspace above it.
South Korea also pushed back against the North’s outbursts.
“North Korea makes these claims for internal purposes and maybe to build an excuse to launch provocations,” said Col. Lee Sung-jun, a South Korean military spokesman, on Tuesday. He added that an exclusive economic zone guarantees the freedom of sailing and flying for foreign vessels and planes.
North Korea typically escalates its anti-American rhetoric ahead of the July 27 anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War to instill fear in its people.
2023-07-11 03:18:40
Link from www.nytimes.com