U.S. denies North Korea commando raids

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TOKYO, May 29 (UPI) -- A report that the United States sends commandos into North Korea to spy on underground military facilities drew a sharp denial from the U.S. military Tuesday.

The military issued a statement saying the current affairs journal The Diplomat took "great liberal license" with comments it attributed to a top U.S. general, The Washington Post reported.

The journal article said Brig. Gen. Neil H. Tolley, commander of special operations for United States Forces Korea, told a conference in Florida last week that both U.S. and South Korean commandos parachute into the north to conduct reconnaissance on underground tunnels that are hidden from satellites.

A spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea said officials are currently looking for a transcript of the general's remarks.

In the meantime, the U.S. military said the four-paragraph article contained quotes that were made up and attributed to the general.

"No U.S. or [South Korean] forces have parachuted into North Korea," the U.S. statement said.

The reporter who covered the conference said given the backlash he's no longer certain of the story's accuracy.