North Korea has accused the U.S. of flying a surveillance aircraft into its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and threatened a physical response.

The North's Korean Central News Agency carried a statement issued Friday by the spokesperson of the General Staff Department of the North's Korean People's Army that claimed that a U.S. reconnaissance plane intruded into an area over the East Sea EEZ on Thursday in yet another attempt to spy on the North.

The North Korean military said that it has made clear the area over the EEZ is part of  its airspace and is ready to take any action to safeguard national sovereignty.

It said it is also considering permanently deploying a missile-carrying vessel some 450 kilometers east of Wonsan in the EEZ to deter further intrusion by U.S. aircraft in the problem area.

The North Korean military says the U.S. aircraft entered its exclusive economic zone by as much as 14 kilometers on three occasions between 5:38 a.m. and 6:37 a.m. on Thursday to conduct what it claims were "aerial spying activity." 

The accusation came hours before leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan held a summit at the Camp David retreat in Maryland on Friday.