Kim Yo Jong Outraged Over Alleged U.S. Recon Aircraft Incursion Into North Korea's EEZ

North Korea's Motives:
Heightened Rhetoric Linked to NCG Launch
and Nuclear Submarine Deployment

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jongun and Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of North Korea, strongly condemned the U.S. Air Force's strategic reconnaissance aircraft for allegedly violating North Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) airspace. The EEZ, which extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline, is a concept distinct from territorial waters (12 nautical miles) where sovereignty is exercised. Some experts argue that North Korea's claims are unfounded and constitute an unreasonable assertion.

On July 10, through a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim asserted, "Starting from around 5 a.m. today, U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance aircraft once again crossed our maritime military demarcation line and violated the airspace over our EEZ, flying between approximately 270 kilometers east of Uljin and 430 kilometers east of Tongchon, and conducted aerial reconnaissance over the eastern region of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

North Korea Kim Yo Jong

She continued, "Our military has already issued a stern warning to the U.S. forces," and threatened, "If U.S. spy planes repeatedly cross our maritime military demarcation line and violate our EEZ airspace, especially in the critical 20 to 40 kilometer section, a truly shocking incident is bound to occur." She added, "While we will not respond directly if U.S. forces conduct reconnaissance outside our EEZ, if they again cross the maritime military demarcation line and violate our EEZ, we will respond with clear and resolute action, as I have been authorized to reiterate."

Earlier that day, North Korea's Ministry of Defense spokesperson issued a statement labeling the deployment of U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance aircraft to the Korean Peninsula as "frantic and provocative aerial espionage" and warned that "there will certainly be consequences." The spokesperson said, "From July 2 to 9, U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance aircraft RC-135 and U-2S, as well as the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft RQ-4B, alternately flew over the East and West Seas of Korea, conducting provocative aerial reconnaissance of our strategic depth areas," and warned, "There is no guarantee anywhere that a shocking incident, such as the downing of a U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance aircraft over the East Sea of Korea, will not occur."

In response, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff immediately issued a statement dismissing North Korea's claims as "false information." An official from the Joint Chiefs emphasized, "We strongly urge North Korea to stop actions that create tension based on false claims," and added, "The flights of U.S. aerial surveillance and reconnaissance assets around the Korean Peninsula are routine reconnaissance activities, and North Korea's claim that its airspace was violated is not true."

Regarding this, Kim Yo Jong criticized, "The Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff are acting as if they are spokespersons for the U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command," and went on to insult, "That nasty habit of sulking and withdrawing at the slightest provocation, or itching for a reaction when not sulking, is a congenital trait shared by both the so-called politicians and military thugs of the Republic of Korea." She further threatened, "If the United States continues to ignore our warnings and fails to recognize the risks it faces, that is not our responsibility. If disaster befalls them, it will clearly be a self-inflicted calamity (jajakjieol)."

North Korea's Motives: NCG Launch and Nuclear Submarine Deployment Under Scrutiny

North Korea Kim Jongun

North Korea's nearly baseless accusations are interpreted as an attempt to keep the upcoming inaugural meeting of the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), scheduled for July 18 in Seoul, in check. This is a typical tactic of shifting responsibility for heightened tensions onto South Korea and the United States, while building justification for potential military provocations. In the statement released earlier by the North Korean Ministry of Defense, the planned port call of a U.S. strategic nuclear submarine to the Korean Peninsula was criticized as "blatant nuclear blackmail," and the statement insisted, "This is a very dangerous situation that forces us to realistically accept the worst-case scenario of a nuclear conflict crisis."

The NCG is a key element of the "Washington Declaration" announced during the summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden in April, serving as a concrete, high-level standing consultative body on extended deterrence. Although it was originally planned as a deputy minister-level consultative body, the first meeting has been elevated to a vice-ministerial level, with both countries' National Security Councils (NSC), including South Korea's First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Tae Hyo, participating. Whether the "U.S. strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) port call to the Korean Peninsula," which North Korea opposes, will be discussed is a major point of interest.