NK Caught Off Guard

[Anchor Lead]

It has been determined by intelligence officials that North Korea did not take any action at the time when US B-1B Lancer bombers flew in international airspace off North Korea's east coast this past Saturday. Given various circumstances, officials in South Korea and the U.S. believe that North Korea was not aware of the U.S. bombers' appearance and was taken aback by the situation.

[Pkg]

It was Saturday night when the United States flew its B-1B strategic bombers in international airspace off North Korea's east coast and past the Northern Limit Line maritime border over the East Sea. The North has since been silent for four days. It's different from its strong reaction in March when B-1B bombers held a bombing drill in South Korea's Gangwondo Province. At the time, the North strongly blasted the move through state media. Intelligence authorities in South Korea and the U.S. believe Pyongyang was considerably taken aback by the unexpected flight of U.S. military assets. In a report to parliament, Seoul's National Intelligence Service said it can't be known whether North Korean radar spotted the bombers, but that Pyongyang did not take any action at the time. The NIS said there was no response of fighter jets or activation of an air defense network by the North.

[Soundbite] Rep. Lee Cheol-woo(Chairman, Nat'l Assembly Intelligence Committee) : "The flight took place close to midnight and the North may not have anticipated it at all or its radar failed to clearly detect it. So, North Korea was unable to take action."

The spy agency said that only after the U.S. flight mission was announced there was movement detected of North Korean fighter jets being transported to the east coast and other efforts to beef up security. The NIS said that presuming that North Korea was completely unaware of the bomber mission, the U.S. had even unveiled the flight path with the belief that the North would have been startled by the whole event.