North Korea getting a bit touchy

North Korea's Air Force Command has threatened to "punish" the United States for its spy flights over the communist state, recalling the fate of a US Navy plane it shot down 37 years ago.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency, the air force said that a US RC-135 reconnaissance plane had made flights over its territorial waters on June 6, 8 and 10. I would have thought that if they could have shot the US Navy plane down then they would have. I wonder what sort of plane the US was using?

Describing the alleged US espionage flights as "openly crying out for a preemptive attack" on the communist state, the command warned of a possible repeat of 1969, when it shot down another US Navy plane, killing all 31 crew.

"The North Korean Air Force seriously warns the US imperialists that it will sternly punish the aggressors if their planes continue illegally intruding into the sky ... on espionage missions," it said. Thing is... does North Korea only know that a plane has overflown them once it has long gone?

"They had better not forget the miserable end EC-121 met in the 1960s."

North Korean fighters shot the reconnaissance plane down off the country's east coast in the Sea of Japan East Sea in April 1969.

Another US-North Korean incident occurred when North Korea fired missiles at an SR-71 spy plane in August 1981. The "Blackbird" jet was undamaged. That is because it was the fastest plane in the world at the time and nothing could catch it. I only wonder what the replacement for the SR-71 is? Is it the SR-75, I guess we will only know when we are told.

North Korea has been sensitive to US spy flights, with its media citing military sources as issuing a monthly report on US aerial espionage. Sunday's statement was rare in that it was issued in the name of the Air Force Command.

North Korea has claimed the United States is preparing to invade the communist country despite repeated US denials. I am not sure that there would be any benefit of invading North Korea, other than freeing the citizens of the country. Diplomacy is going to have to be the way to stare the North Korean government down.

The two sides are locked in a standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

During six-way talks in September, North Korea agreed in principle to dismantle its weapons program in exchange for diplomatic and economic benefits and security guarantees.

But North Korea has boycotted the talks since November when it said US financial sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over allegations of money laundering were blocking progress.

Pyongyang has said it would return to talks which involve both Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia only after the sanctions are lifted.

Did anyone see Team America World Police?