By Kang Seung-woo
Two Chinese military aircraft briefly intruded into the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), Sunday, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Tuesday."A Chinese military surveillance aircraft and an early warning plane flew into the KADIZ over Ieodo, a submerged rock in the East China Sea without prior notice," the JCS said.Ieodo, some 150 kilometers southwest off Jeju Island, is the subject of a territorial dispute between South Korea and China.Right after the Chinese planes entered the zone, the Korean military issued a warning to the pilots of the infiltrating aircraft and ordered ROK Air Force fighters to be on stand-by alert. The pilots reportedly identified themselves as Chinese and immediately flew out of the area.After leaving KADIZ, the aircraft also violated Japan's air defense zone, travelling south of Tsushima Island and Japan's Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighters in response, according to Japanese reports.This was the first time that Chinese military planes have flown into the KADIZ without giving advance notice, triggering speculation that the flight was a show of force against Seoul's move toward accepting the deployment of an advanced U.S. missile interceptor on Korean soil.The air defense identification zone is not a country's territorial airspace, but was established outside the territorial airspace for the purpose of identifying air traffic and to enable early warnings, by asking aircraft entering it zone to identify themselves and submit flight plans.Japan's Ministry of Defense said that the planes did not intrude into its airspace. The JCS declined to comment on what China's intentions were regarding the flights.However, a military official said that the incident may reflect China's concerns about talks between Seoul and Washington on the deployment of the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) on the peninsula.The Chinese government has urged Korea to avoid having THAAD deployed here, claiming that it could be a threat to China's security."The flight must have been carried out intentionally because there is little chance that state-of-the-art military planes could mistakenly take a wrong route," the official said."Through the flight, China appears to be flexing its military muscle against THAAD deployment."Japan's Mainichi Shimbun said that China may have flown them to collect information on Japanese Aegis destroyers which are in service to target any North Korea ballistic missiles heading for Japan.Last week, the Korean defense ministry said that the Kim Jong-un regime may soon test a long-range ballistic missile amid increased activity at its northwestern launch site.Korea expanded the zone in 2013 to counter China's unilateral declaration of its own air defense identification zone that overlaps with KADIZ and covers Ieodo, part of Korean territory located southwest of Jeju Island.
합동참모본부는 지난달 31일 중국 군용기 2대가 한국과 중국의 방공식별구역 중첩 구역에 침범했다고 2일 밝혔다.
전하규 합참 공보실장은 이날 국방부 정례브리핑에서 관련 질문에 중국 군용기의 한국 방공식별구역(KADIZ) 침범이 '중첩 구역에서 발생했다'고 답했다.
전 실장은 '우리 군은 이어도 남방에서 미식별 항적을 최초 포착하고 식별 절차를 통해 중국 항공기임을 식별했고 위협성이 없음을 재차 확인했다'고 설명했다.
이어 '필요한 감시와 전술 조치들을 충분히 취했다'며 '(중국 군용기가) 영공을 침범할 경우 대응할 수 있도록 전투기 출격 등 준비도 했다'고 덧붙였다.
방공식별구역은 영공 방위를 목적으로 미상의 항공기를 조기에 식별하기 위해 설정한 구역으로, 영공과는 구별된다.
앞서 중국군 항공기 2대는 지난달 31일 제주도 남서쪽 이어도 상공에서 KADIZ를 침범했고 우리 군의 경고방송에 즉시 빠져나갔다.
이들 항공기는 일본 방공식별구역(JADIZ)도 침범하고 대한해협을 지나 동해 상공까지 비행했다. 이에 대응해 일본 자위대는 전투기를 긴급 발진시켜 양국간 군사적 긴장이 고조됐다.
이어 합참은 별도의 입장 공지를 통해 '우리 군은 중국 항공기가 KADIZ로 접근하는 시점부터 지속적으로 감시했으며 KADIZ 진입시 중국 측과 핫라인 및 경고통신을 통해 해당 항공기가 중국군 소속이며 위협 의사가 없음을 확인했다'고 밝혔다.
그러면서 '이런 상황을 고려해 우리 군은 직접 출격 대응을 하지 않고 지상에서 즉각출격태세를 유지하면서 중국군 항공기가 KADIZ를 이탈할 때까지 지속적으로 감시했다'고 덧붙였다. (연합뉴스)
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