"We hope that under the current situation all sides will keep calm and exercise restraint in order to truly safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia," Kong said at a regular briefing.

A Pentagon spokesman said that the two DPRK MiG29 fighters and two other aircraft came within dozens of meters of the US air force RC-135 plane and the closest the fighters came was 15 meters. One of the fighters locked its weapons-targeting radar onto the US plane.

The incident occurred at a time when the row between the DPRK and the US over the DPRK's nuclear program has rapidly escalated since late last year.

The US plane returned to its base in Japan without damage, but a US State Department official said a formal protest on the DPRK's "provocative" act was under consideration.

The wider nuclear crisis added significance and symbolism to the annual military exercises carried out by the US and the Republic of Korea (ROK) forces, which began yesterday.

This year's exercise, codenamed RSOI/FE 03, will be staged throughout ROK until April 2, backed by a US aircraft carrier to be deployed near the Korean Peninsula.

DPRK has angrily condemned the joint drills as preparations for an invasion.

ROK gave no official response yesterday to the latest US-North Korean air confrontation.

Japan, home to US spy planes in Northeast Asia, tried to calm tensions but warned Pyongyang not to provoke the United States.

(China Daily March 5, 2003)