The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Wednesday accused the United States of conducting at least 180 cases of aerial espionage against it in August.

A U-2 took off from a US air force base in South Korea on Aug. 31 and made a long shuttle flight from east to west above areas along the military demarcation line (MDL) to spy on targets in the depth of the DPRK, military sources were quoted as saying by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

On Aug. 23, when the "aggressive joint military exercise" Ulji Focus Lens-04 started, eight strategic and tactic reconnaissance planes were involved to spy on the DPRK and seven on Aug. 24, said the KCNA.

The KCNA said that the aerial espionage clearly indicates "how desperately the US imperialist warmongers are working to mount a preemptive attack on the DPRK and stifle it by force of arms."

According to the KCNA, more than 170 cases of US aerial espionage were carried out in July, bringing to 1,400 in the first seven months this year.

Source: Xinhua