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| N Korea threatens civilian planes | N Korea threatens civilian planes |
| (11 minutes later) | |
| North Korea has said it cannot ensure the safety of South Korean civilian flights passing near its airspace over the Sea of Japan (East Sea). | North Korea has said it cannot ensure the safety of South Korean civilian flights passing near its airspace over the Sea of Japan (East Sea). |
| The threat comes ahead of a joint South Korean-US military exercise, which Pyongyang says is preparation for an invasion of the communist state. | The threat comes ahead of a joint South Korean-US military exercise, which Pyongyang says is preparation for an invasion of the communist state. |
| Washington and Seoul say the annual drill is for purely defence purposes. | Washington and Seoul say the annual drill is for purely defence purposes. |
| Tensions are high in the region amid speculation that the North is planning to test-fire a long-range missile. | Tensions are high in the region amid speculation that the North is planning to test-fire a long-range missile. |
| In the latest in a series of bellicose statements, a North Korean committee warned that "security cannot be guaranteed for South Korean civil airplanes... in particular while the military exercises are under way". | |
| It said no one knows what "military conflicts will be be touched off by the reckless war exercises". | |
| The joint US-South Korean drills begin on Monday and last for 12 days. | |
| The North announced last month that it was preparing to launch a communications satellite, but some suspect this could be a cover for a test of the Taepodong 2 missile, capable of reaching as far as Alaska. | |
| A report from Japan has suggested it could send a destroyer carrying missile interceptor technology to the Sea of Japan in preparation for such an event. |