US surveillance plane flies over Korean Peninsula

A U-2 ultra-high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force returns to U.S. Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, (File Photo: IANS)


A US surveillance aircraft flew over the Korean Peninsula, an aviation tracker said on Saturday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea following its successive major weapons tests.

The US Air Force’s RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted in skies above Gyeonggi Province near the capital city of Seoul and the eastern province of Gangwon, Yonhap news Agency quoted the tracker, Aircraft Spots as saying in a tweet.

The last known flight by a similar aircraft was reported early last month, along with several other types of spy planes.

On Sunday and Tuesday, the Navy’s EP-3E was spotted over the Peninsula.

Their operations came as North Korea resumed missile launches in March after a four-month hiatus, said the Uonhap news Agency.

The latest and fourth round so far this year took place on March 28, when it fired two short-range projectiles from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan toward the East Sea.

Pyongyang has moved to beef up self-defence capabilities amid stalled denuclearization talks with the US.

On Monday, North Korea said it has no interest in dialogue and pledged to go its own way in protest against US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s call for continued international pressure on Pyongyang.