PYONGYANG, North Korea: North Korea on Sunday accused the United States and South Korea of escalating aerial espionage activities around the Korean Peninsula, warning of “immediate action” if its sovereignty is breached.
According to Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il, the US has deployed dozens of military planes for espionage against North Korea from May 13 to 24.
He stated that these activities are “at a level beyond the wartime situation,” attributing rising regional tensions to these hostile acts, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim Kang Il also criticized the South Korean navy for alleged intrusions across North Korea’s maritime border, carried out under the guise of “mobile patrols.” He warned that the North would take necessary military measures and that such intrusions would lead to “dangerous consequences.”
The vice minister condemned South Korean civic groups for sending anti-regime leaflets via balloons over the border, calling it a “dangerous provocation” and threatening “tit-for-tat action.” Despite a 2021 ban, activists have continued this practice, which Pyongyang views as a severe provocation.
Inter-Korean relations have deteriorated significantly, with Pyongyang labeling Seoul its “principal enemy” and threatening war over any perceived territorial infringement. The US and South Korea conduct regular joint military drills, which they assert are defensive measures against North Korean threats. However, Pyongyang perceives these drills as invasion rehearsals and often responds with weapons tests and live-fire exercises.
