Comes After North Says It Can't Guarantee Safety

Responding to a veiled threat from its hostile neighbor, this week South Korea urged airlines serving the country to reroute flights that take them within sight of North Korea.

CNN International reports South Korean media stated the government of Pyongyang said Thursday it was "compelled to declare that security cannot be guaranteed for South Korean civil airplanes" in its airspace, ahead of planned US-South Korean joint military exercises.

"To threaten military action against a civilian aircraft that is flying under international air regulations is not only against international laws but is an inhumane action," said Kim Ho-Nyun, a Ministry of Unification spokesman. "This cannot be justified for whatever reason."

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have rerouted about 14 daily flights to the US and Russia, adding between 15-40 minutes to those routes to avoid coming within close proximity of North Korea. Singapore Airlines announced similar measures Friday.

The tension comes at a critical time for relations between the Koreas, which technically remain in a state of war. In addition to the upcoming military exercises, South Korea recently elected conservative president Lee Myung-bak, who ran on taking a tougher stance towards the North than his predecessor. Days after taking office, the new president has already cut off unconditional aid to the Communist regime.

Interestingly, the row also comes in the same week that military officials from North Korea met with US-led representatives of the United Nations command, for the first series of high-level talks in seven years. The UN said those talks came at the request of the North.

"These talks can be useful in building trust and preventing misunderstanding, as well as introducing transparency regarding the intentions of both sides," the UN stated.

As ANN reported last month, North Korea has also said it plans to launch its first satellite in the near future. US officials believe that is a veiled excuse for the country to conduct its latest test of the Taepodong-2 long-range missile.

FMI: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kn.html