Pyongyang launches fighter jets after “breaking into” America

North Korea’s military said on Friday it launched fighter jets in response to what it said was an “interference” of a US spy plane in its airspace the day before.

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A military spokesman said, in a statement published by the North’s Korean Central News Agency, that the American plane passed Thursday morning off a northeastern Korean economic zone.

The statement stated that the army “quickly ordered” its combat aircraft to “exit urgently towards the airspace that was penetrated by the American strategic reconnaissance planes, and to remain on alert.”

The spokesman spoke of a US “serious military provocation” and warned that the North Korean military “will not hesitate to take all countermeasures to defend the sovereignty” of the country.

North Korea threatened last month to shoot down US surveillance planes that violated its airspace, accusing Washington of “intensifying espionage activities” beyond what can be done “in wartime”.

This new incident comes as the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea meet at the Camp David summit.

They should agree on a plan for military exercises spanning several years and commit to consultation during times of crisis, said Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser.