It appears that the recent outrage of North Korea might not hold much substance as it’s military have failed to detect a flight by US bombers near its airspace on Saturday. This undermines the feasibility of Pyongyang’s latest threats against the US, lawmakers said Tuesday.
On Monday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho claimed that the US has declared war on his country, and that US military planes will be shot down should they approach North Korea airspace.
According to members of South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee, however, North Korea may be incapable of detecting US Air Force maneuvers near its borders.
Lawmakers on the committee told the media that Seoul’s National Intelligence Service reported that Pyongyang appears to have been unaware of Saturday’s operation involving B-1B bomber and F-15 fighter jets. The NIS also told the lawmakers that North Korean military took no measures in response around the time of the flight.
“In short, North Korea took no actions when the B-1B (bombers) approached (North Korea),” intelligence committee chief Rep. Lee Cheol-woo said, citing information revealed by the NIS.
Lee added that the US military informed the NIS that the flight path of the B-1B was disclosed because North Korea appeared to have failed to detect the maneuver on its own, and appears to have conferred with China and Russia regarding the matter.
