North Korea Accuses US of Hostile Surveillance Flights

North Korea has accused the United States of conducting hostile air espionage by deploying over a dozen surveillance aircraft near its borders this month. Kim Kang Il, a senior official in North Korea’s Defense Ministry, claimed that at least 16 US Air Force planes, including the RC-135 and U-2S spy planes, were involved in reconnaissance missions along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea. These allegations come amid heightened military tensions in the region, with Pyongyang conducting a record number of missile tests and accusations of North Korea supplying weapons to Russian forces in Ukraine. The US Defense Department and US Forces Korea have yet to comment on these specific accusations, while South Korea’s Defense Ministry and North Korea’s embassy in Beijing have not responded to inquiries. The Pentagon generally does not discuss specific operations but maintains that US forces operate where international law allows.