South rejects North's allegations about U.S. spy flights

South Korea's military dismissed North Korean allegations that U.S. surveillance flights violated its airspace. “Flight by U.S. reconnaissance assets around the Korean Peninsula is a normal reconnaissance activity, and North Korea's claim that its...

A U.S. strategic reconnaissance plane, RC-135S, in the airspace over the East Sea on March 14. [YONHAP]

South Korea's military dismissed North Korean allegations that U.S. surveillance flights violated its airspace.

“Flight by U.S. reconnaissance assets around the Korean Peninsula is a normal reconnaissance activity, and North Korea's claim that its airspace has been violated is not true,” said the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea in a statement on Monday. “We strongly urge the North to stop creating tensions by way of these false claims.”

Earlier on Monday, North Korea accused the United States of violating its airspace by conducting surveillance flights and warned it could shoot down U.S. planes.

“This month alone, RC-135, U-2S and RQ-4B, strategic reconnaissance planes and reconnaissance drone belonging to the U.S. Air Force, flew over the East and West seas of Korea in turn for eight straight days from July 2 to 9 to conduct provocative aerial espionage on the DPRK's strategic interior,” said the spokesman of North Korea Ministry of Defense in an English-language statement released by its state media Korean Central News Agency on Monday.

DPRK is the acronym of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The spokesman reminded the United States of “the tragic fate of its spy plane EC-121 in 1969 and its reconnaissance helicopter” and threatened to shoot down aircraft that enter North Korean airspace.

North Korea shot down a U.S. Navy EC-121 reconnaissance aircraft in 1969, killing all 31 Americans on board.

Experts in the South saw the North’s latest statement as largely concocted.

“The North has poor air defense capability, but even it can detect a reconnaissance plane or bomber without stealth technology entering its airspace,” said Shin Jong-woo, secretary general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum. “Yet the fact that it did not take any action reveals that the North is making a false claim.”

Some sources in the South Korean military cited a political motive behind the North’s statement Monday.

“It's an anomaly,” a source in the South Korean military told the JoongAng Ilbo on Monday. “The North going so far as to claim something false about regular U.S. reconnaissance activity, and even threatening to shoot down the planes, which is highly unfeasible, all of it goes to show that there is a political motivation behind it all.”

Monday was the day that President Yoon Suk Yeol left for the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. In an interview with the Associated Press prior to his departure, Yoon stressed the need to demonstrate “the international community’s determination” against North Korea’s nuclear ambitions at the summit.

“Peace is never as certain and reliable as when it is backed by powerful force and deterrence,” Yoon told the AP. “Strong international sanctions against North Korea have the effect of preventing the advancement of its nuclear and missile capabilities.”

A bilateral consultative body between the United States and South Korea to bolster nuclear deterrence against threats from North Korea is scheduled to meet later this month, too.

The Nuclear Consultative Group is expected to discuss measures to strengthen "extended deterrence" against threats from North Korea, mobilizing the full range of the U.S. military capabilities, both nuclear and conventional, to defend South Korea from a possible attack.

The inaugural meeting of the group has been scheduled for July 18 in Seoul.

The North may engage in further provocations closer to the date, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

“We can anticipate the launch of medium and short-range ballistic missiles or submarine-launched ballistic missiles,” said Yang.

The approaching date of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War may also be a factor.

“They need something strong to strengthen their internal solidarity within a short period of time,” Shin said. “The level of provocative words used show that the regime is that much in need of internal solidarity.”

BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG, ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]