N. Korea slams US reconnaissance aircraft for intruding in airspace
Korea HeraldJul 09, 2023
The Facts
North Korea has condemned a planned deployment of a US nuclear missile submarine to waters near the Korean peninsula, warning that such a move could ignite a nuclear conflict. Pyongyang also says its airspace was violated by US spy planes and threatened to shoot them down.
An unnamed spokesman of North Korea’s defense ministry said that the presence of a US strategic nuclear submarine carrying nuclear warheads near the Korean peninsula would be the first time such a vessel has been deployed in the area since 1981.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The deployment of a nuclear submarine in the Korean theater is part of the so-called "Washington Declaration," which aims to deter the North from attacking its neighbors. Over the last several months, there's been increased anxiety over Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests, and, as a result, the US and South Korea have taken measures to deter further acts of aggression.
Establishment-critical narrative
There is widespread criticism of the US deployment of a nuclear submarine in South Korea. The deployment threatens to make the region more dangerous, as it provides a means for the US to retaliate against the North if it launches a nuclear attack on the South. It would do no good for either country to strike back against the other if an unthinkable event were taking place.
