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CNN Live At Daybreak

Things Getting Even More Tense Between U.S., North Korea

Aired March 04, 2003 - 05:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, things are getting even more tense between the United States and North Korea. Washington is now deciding how to protect its spy planes after a North Korean fighter jet came too close for comfort over the Sea of Japan.
We take you now live to the Korean Peninsula and our Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Axis of evil -- what's up there today, Jia-Ae?

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the reports coming out of the Pentagon say that the four North Korean fighter planes intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane that was flying in international air space on the eastern sea of the Korean Peninsula. They came as close as 50 feet from the U.S. spy plane and one even locked onto the spy plane as a, the radar locked on as a possible, identifying it as a possible target.

Now, the U.S. Pentagon officials say no other further hostile activities were taken by North Korea, but this has raised a lot of concern about the possibility of any type of escalating crisis here on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean officials, however, today have been relatively mum, low key about this whole incident. There was no official reaction from South Korean officials. They did tell us, however, that South Korea is very concerned. It is looking into the matter. It is closely coordinating with its U.S. allies and they are trying to keep a close eye on what the reaction from North Korea is.

Now, the South Korean military has not been put on any heightened alert and South Korean officials here and South Korean analysts say that this is all in an attempt by South Korea to keep calm about this issue, to try not to escalate the tensions any further than it already has -- Carol.

COSTELLO: A tough job for the South Koreans.

I know that war games are scheduled between South Korea and the United States. What are the war games and will they go on?

JIE-AE: Well, the war games, as North Korea likes to say, is North Korea today came out in harsh criticism of what is called the annual training exercises, joint field training exercises between the U.S. and South Korean forces. They have been going on since the 1960s. This is a one month exercise called the Foal Eagle that starts today. It goes on for a month. They've done this every year and every year North Korea has come out in harsh criticism of this exercise. Today they called it populations, U.S. preparations for an attack on North Korea.

So, North Korea does not like these exercises, but U.S. forces here say that these are annual defensive exercises and they have been going on for a long time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 4, 2003 - 05:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, things are getting even more tense between the United States and North Korea. Washington is now deciding how to protect its spy planes after a North Korean fighter jet came too close for comfort over the Sea of Japan.
We take you now live to the Korean Peninsula and our Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Axis of evil -- what's up there today, Jia-Ae?

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the reports coming out of the Pentagon say that the four North Korean fighter planes intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane that was flying in international air space on the eastern sea of the Korean Peninsula. They came as close as 50 feet from the U.S. spy plane and one even locked onto the spy plane as a, the radar locked on as a possible, identifying it as a possible target.

Now, the U.S. Pentagon officials say no other further hostile activities were taken by North Korea, but this has raised a lot of concern about the possibility of any type of escalating crisis here on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean officials, however, today have been relatively mum, low key about this whole incident. There was no official reaction from South Korean officials. They did tell us, however, that South Korea is very concerned. It is looking into the matter. It is closely coordinating with its U.S. allies and they are trying to keep a close eye on what the reaction from North Korea is.

Now, the South Korean military has not been put on any heightened alert and South Korean officials here and South Korean analysts say that this is all in an attempt by South Korea to keep calm about this issue, to try not to escalate the tensions any further than it already has -- Carol.

COSTELLO: A tough job for the South Koreans.

I know that war games are scheduled between South Korea and the United States. What are the war games and will they go on?

JIE-AE: Well, the war games, as North Korea likes to say, is North Korea today came out in harsh criticism of what is called the annual training exercises, joint field training exercises between the U.S. and South Korean forces. They have been going on since the 1960s. This is a one month exercise called the Foal Eagle that starts today. It goes on for a month. They've done this every year and every year North Korea has come out in harsh criticism of this exercise. Today they called it populations, U.S. preparations for an attack on North Korea.

So, North Korea does not like these exercises, but U.S. forces here say that these are annual defensive exercises and they have been going on for a long time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Sohn Jie-Ae reporting live from Seoul, South Korea this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com