North Korea threatens to down US spy planes violating its airspace

SEOUL: North Korea on Monday threatened to shoot down any US spy planes violating its airspace and condemned Washington´s plans to deploy a nuclear missile submarine near the Korean peninsula.

A spokesperson for the North´s Ministry of National Defence said the United States has “intensified espionage activities beyond the wartime level”, with “provocative” flights made by US spy aircraft over eight straight days this month, and one reconnaissance plane intruding into its airspace over the East Sea “several times”.

“There is no guarantee that such shocking accident as downing of the US Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen in the East Sea of Korea,” the spokesperson said in a statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The spokesperson cited past incidents when Pyongyang shot down US aircraft, and warned the United States would pay for its “frantically staged” air espionage.

Late on Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un´s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong said that a US spy aircraft had violated the country´s eastern airspace twice on Monday morning, according to a statement.

Kim Yo Jong said that the North would not respond directly to US reconnaissance activities outside of the country´s exclusive economic zone, but warned that it would take “decisive action” if the US military crosses its maritime military demarcation line.