N.Korea slams Canada, France for monitoring illicit maritime activities

Seoul, Oct 25 (IANS) North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced Canada and France for dispatching patrol planes near the Korean Peninsula to monitor Pyongyang's activities, violating a UN Security Council resolution, calling it a "military provocation" endangering the security situation in the region.

A North Korean Ministry researcher made the comments in a statement posted on its website, referring to the surveillance operations as an "imprudent" act that will "destroy security balance in the region and result in aggravating the political situation", reports Yonhap News Agency.

Accusing Washington of "inciting" the countries' military activities in the region, the Ministry claimed such moves are part of US efforts to keep China and Russia in check.

Last week, the Canadian Defence Ministry announced the deployment of a CP-140 aircraft to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, "to support ongoing multinational efforts to counter North Korea's attempts to evade sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)".

Earlier this month, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said France will engage in monitoring illicit maritime activities, including "ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels" prohibited by the UNSC resolutions.

"The US and the Western countries should be aware that their military provocations will not only hurt the regional situation but also their own national security," the statement said.