RC-135 Intercept Was Apparently Bid For Pueblo-Like Crisis

It had all the markings of a cold war-style confrontation. An American reconnaissance aircraft, patrolling over international waters in the Sea of Japan, was suddenly beset upon by four North Korean fighters last weekend. But the New York Times reports it was actually  much more than an attempt at aerial intimidation. Instead, the North Korean MiGs were trying to force the aircraft to land in North Korea and seize its crew, the New York Times has reported.

A senior US defense official was quoted as saying a North Korean pilot made internationally-recognized hand signals to the US flight crew to follow him - presumably to a forced landing at an airfield controlled by Pyongyang. Details about last weekend's spy plane incident came to light when military officials interviewed the American crew involved, the New York Times reported.

The crew ignored the hand signals from the North Korean pilot, aborted their surveillance mission and returned to their base at Kadena in Japan, the paper said. The intercept was the most serious military incident since the nuclear crisis between the US and North Korea began last October, the first intercept by North Korean migs of an American aircraft since 1969.

Close Encounter

One of the jets closed to within 50 feet of the USAF surveillance aircraft, as it flew in international airspace about 150 miles off the North Korean coast last Sunday. The new details emerged as the US and South Korea said the North appeared ready to test a medium-range missile sometime in the next three or four days.

North Korea has declared a maritime exclusion zone in international waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan - an apparent preparation for a missile launch. Pyongyang issued the warning for the 8-11 March to cover virtually the same area in which an anti-ship missile was tested on 25 February, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Nuclear tensions

A Pentagon spokesman said on Friday that the US was "not overly concerned" at North Korea's apparent plan to fire a test missile.

Last week, the United States recently boosted its military presence in the region by sending heavy bombers to its base on Guam. Two dozen B-1 and B-52 bombers are now within striking distance of North Korea. The White House said the move was planned before the RC-135 intercept. Spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters last week the idea behind posting the bombers on Guam  was to "send a message" to Communist leader Kim-Jong-Il.

FMI: www.af.mil, www.state.gov, North Korea Central News Agency