US again flies spy plane over Korean Peninsula

RC-135W (US Air Force)

A US surveillance aircraft has flown over South Korea, an aviation tracker said Saturday, on an apparent mission to monitor North Korea following a series of major weapons tests by the communist nation last month.

The US Air Force's RC-135W Rivet Joint was spotted in skies above the eastern province of Gangwon and Gyeonggi Province near the capital city of Seoul, Aircraft Spots tweeted without specifying the exact time of the operation.

It uploaded a similar post Saturday about detecting this type of aircraft flying over South Korea.

The United States has deployed several types of spy planes here, such as the Navy's EP-3E, amid stepped-up military movement by North Korea and stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Last month, the regime resumed major missile launches after a four-month hiatus. The latest and fourth round this year took place on March 28, when the North fired two short-range projectiles from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan toward the East Sea. (Yonhap)