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In this handout image released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, A U.S. B-52H strategic bomber, F-22 fighter jets and C-17 fly over South Korea during the joint air drills on December 20, 2022 at an undisclosed location in South Korea. South Korea and the United States conducted combined air drills, involving a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber and F-22 stealth fighters. (Photo by  Getty Images)

North Korea warned on Monday that their military might start shooting down U.S. Air Force planes after accusing the U.S. of “illegally” intruding into its airspace “several times.”
“Provocative military actions by the United States were bringing the Korean peninsula closer to a nuclear conflict,” an unnamed spokesperson of North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense said. 

“There is no guarantee that such a shocking accident as the downing of the U.S. Air Force strategic reconnaissance plane will not happen,” the spokesperson asserted.
The representative went on to say that the nation is practicing “patience and self-control” but that they were finally reaching their limits. 

Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, accused the U.S. of flying spy planes over the North’s exclusive economic zone, an area within 200 nautical miles of its territory where it controls the rights to natural resources. 
Kim said that a spy plane crossed the eastern sea boundary between North and South Korea at around 5 a.m. on Monday before being chased away by North Korean warplanes. She claimed that the U.S. then flew across the eastern sea boundary at 8:50 a.m., which prompted a “strong warning” to the United States. 

However, South Korea’s military told Reuters that the North’s claims of the U.S. violating the North’s airspace is not factual, and that the U.S. often conducts reconnaissance flights in the region. 
Kim responded by accusing South Korea’s Chiefs of Staff of acting like a “spokesperson” for the U.S. military and that the West has been infringing North Korea’s sovereignty and safety. 
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called on North Korea “to refrain from escalatory actions,” and also urged the nation “to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.”

Miller said that Washington was open to having dialogue with North Korea without preconditions, however, Pyongyang refused.