North Korea: Warplanes Turned Back US Spy Flight

North Korea said Monday that its warplanes turned back a US spy plane that was over its territorial waters earlier in the day. The statement was made by Kim Yo Jong, sister of the nation's ruler, Kim Jong Un, and one of the government's top foreign policy officials. North Korea will not take direct action against US forces' "acts of espionage outside the economic water zone," Kim said, while warning of "shocking" consequences if US spying continues, the Hill reports. US officials did not immediately respond to the claim.

Kim said that the incursion by an Air Force spy plane happened about 5am and that military jets drove it away. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff denied that US spy planes had crossed into North Korean territory, per the AP. A spokesperson said the US was doing standard reconnaissance in cooperation with South Korean forces. Kim said the Joint Chiefs were acting like "a spokesperson" for the US. (More North Korea stories.)