March 9, 2009 4:06 AM
- Text
North Korea Threatens Passenger Flights
(CBS/AP)
North Korea is threatening South Korean civilian planes flying near its airspace amid heightened tensions on the divided peninsula.
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued the threat today, claiming upcoming joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises are preparations to invade the communist country.
The statement said the North could not "guarantee the safety of South Korean civilian planes passing near our airspace."
Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said the annual exercises, which begin next Monday, are purely defensive.
The North demanded during rare talks with the U.N. Command on Monday that the U.S. and South Korea call off the annual military exercise set to start March 9, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. North Korean officials warned that the drill would "further stir up" tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the report said, citing an unnamed South Korean official.
On Tuesday, U.S. military spokesman Kim Yong-kyu said the annual joint exercises will go ahead planned.
The drills, set for March 9-20 in sites across South Korea, come amid concerns North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile capable of striking U.S. territory.
The North said last week it would launch a communications satellite into orbit. But neighboring governments believe the satellite claim may be a cover for a missile launch and have warned the regime such a move would invite international sanctions. Analysts say satellites and missiles use similar delivery systems.
North Korea unsuccessfully test-fired a long-range missile in 2006, but is believed to have made improvements in its missile capabilities. Analysts say satellite images reveal brisk activity at a launch pad in North Korea's northeast.
The two Koreas, which technically remain at war, remain divided by the world's most heavily fortified border, with the U.S.-led command overseeing their 1953 cease-fire. Although other nations contributed forces during the Korean War, U.S. troops are the only foreign combat forces left on the peninsula. The U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea.
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued the threat today, claiming upcoming joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises are preparations to invade the communist country.
The statement said the North could not "guarantee the safety of South Korean civilian planes passing near our airspace."
Washington and Seoul have repeatedly said the annual exercises, which begin next Monday, are purely defensive.
The North demanded during rare talks with the U.N. Command on Monday that the U.S. and South Korea call off the annual military exercise set to start March 9, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. North Korean officials warned that the drill would "further stir up" tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the report said, citing an unnamed South Korean official.
On Tuesday, U.S. military spokesman Kim Yong-kyu said the annual joint exercises will go ahead planned.
The drills, set for March 9-20 in sites across South Korea, come amid concerns North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile capable of striking U.S. territory.
The North said last week it would launch a communications satellite into orbit. But neighboring governments believe the satellite claim may be a cover for a missile launch and have warned the regime such a move would invite international sanctions. Analysts say satellites and missiles use similar delivery systems.
North Korea unsuccessfully test-fired a long-range missile in 2006, but is believed to have made improvements in its missile capabilities. Analysts say satellite images reveal brisk activity at a launch pad in North Korea's northeast.
The two Koreas, which technically remain at war, remain divided by the world's most heavily fortified border, with the U.S.-led command overseeing their 1953 cease-fire. Although other nations contributed forces during the Korean War, U.S. troops are the only foreign combat forces left on the peninsula. The U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea.
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