South Korea fires warning shots at North Korean troops who crossed into DMZ, third Russian intelligence plane intercepted by NORAD, and RIP to a World War II flying ace.
1. North Korean troops who crossed into South Korea at the Demilitarized Zone last week did not heed broadcasted messages to halt, prompting South Korean soldiers to fire warning shots, according to a U.N. Command investigation. A group of North Korean soldiers crossed the central area of the Military Demarcation Line, the actual border between the two Koreas, around 3 p.m. Aug. 19, according to a text message to news reporters from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Saturday. The group consisted of about 30 North Korean troops, and their crossing spurred the South Korean military to broadcast several warnings from loudspeakers, according to an unattributed statement emailed Monday by U.N. Command. The North Korean troops, who were working on construction and maintenance in the area, “did not respond to the broadcast,” the command said.
2. For the third time in less than a week, a Russian intelligence-gathering plane was intercepted Sunday in the expansive Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, according to a NORAD news release that day. NORAD scrambled two fighters, an early warning and control aircraft and two aerial refuelers to intercept the Ilyushin IL-20 Coot, according to the release. NORAD responded to two other Coot electronic signals gatherers in the Alaskan zone, the first on Wednesday and a second on Thursday. In both cases, the command responded with two F-16 Fighting Falcons, an E-3 Sentry and one KC-135 refueler. A spokesperson for the command was not immediately available after close of business Sunday to respond to questions regarding details of the most recent flight.
3. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of two types of new antiair missiles, state media said Sunday, displaying his expanding military capabilities as the South Korean and U.S. militaries carry out joint drills. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said the test Saturday proved the missiles effective in countering aerial threats such as drones and cruise missiles, and that Kim assigned unspecified “important” tasks to defense scientists ahead of a major political conference expected early next year. The report did not specify the missiles that were tested or where the event took place. It did not mention any remarks by Kim directed at Washington or Seoul.
4. Russia accused Ukraine on Sunday of launching drone attacks that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant in its western Kursk region overnight, as Ukraine celebrated 34 years since its independence. Russian officials said several power and energy facilities were targeted in the overnight strikes. The fire at the nuclear facility was quickly extinguished with no injuries reported, according to the plant’s press service on Telegram. While the attack damaged a transformer, radiation levels remained within normal ranges. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said it was aware of media reports that a transformer at the plants had caught fire “due to military activity,” but hadn’t received independent confirmation. It said its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said that “every nuclear facility must be protected at all times.”
5. A World War II veteran from Nebraska believed to be America’s last surviving “ace” pilot because he shot down five enemy planes has died at age 103. Donald McPherson served as a Navy fighter pilot aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex in the Pacific theater, where he engaged Japanese forces during the final years of the war. He earned the Congressional Gold Medal and three Distinguished Flying Crosses for his service However, his daughter Beth Delabar said his loved ones always felt McPherson preferred a legacy reflecting his dedication to faith, family and community instead of his wartime feats. “When it’s all done and Dad lists the things he wants to be remembered for … his first first thing would be that he’s a man of faith,” she told the Beatrice Daily Sun.
- Security