Spokesman for General Staff of KPA issues statement

  We are ready to make any physical response to defend the sovereignty of the Republic.

  Statement of the Spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army

  The United States committed an aerial espionage again by sending the strategic reconnaissance plane to the sky over the economic waters of our side on the West Sea of Korea on the 17th.

  The US strategic reconnaissance plane illegally intruded into the sky over our economic waters up to the depth of 14 kilometres three times, making a repeated circular flight in the sky over the waters between 520 kilometres east of Wonsan and 430 kilometres east of Tanchon from 5:38 a.m. and 6:37 a.m. on the 17th, committing espionage over the east and depth area of the DPRK.

  It is a dangerous military provocation committed in only 20 days after the US strategic reconnaissance planes illegally intruded into the sky over the economic waters of our side on July 28th.

  The General Staff of the Korean People's Army issued an order to send the pursuit planes of the anti-aircraft division in the eastern sector immediately to the area of the infiltration and make an alert flight.

  The US strategic reconnaissance plane flew away at around 7:15 a.m. due to the responding flight of our pursuit planes.

  Our pursuit planes made an alert flight until 9 a.m. in order to frustrate the re-infiltration of the US plane.

  Concerning the repeated provocative aerial espionage of the enemy, the General Staff of the Korean People's Army is examining the operational plan to check and completely drive out the illegal intrusion of the US strategic reconnaissance planes into the sky over the controversial area by deploying the ship loaded with the latest anti-air missile in the area 450 kilometres east of Wonsan, the economic waters of our side.

  We already clarified clearly that the sky over the economic waters on the East Sea of Korea belongs to the sky of the DPRK where our sovereignty is exercised.

  Our army is ready to make any physical response to defend the sovereignty of the Republic.

  Pyongyang

  August 18th, Juche 112(2023) 

English Language Service, Voice of Korea www.vok.rep.kp E-mail: vok@star-co.net.kp