Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Chinese military plane enters S. Korea's air defense zone in East Sea
This screen capture shows flight drills of China's air force. / Korea Times file
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
South Korea's foreign and defense ministries expressed regret over a Chinese military plane's unauthorized flight into the South's air defense zone on Saturday, urging Beijing to stop it happening again.
Lee Won-ik, director general of international policy at the Ministry of National Defense, summoned his Chinese counterpart Saturday, saying a Chinese military jet had again entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) without notification. “The South Korean government and its people consider it a serious problem entering into our territory and flying over conflict areas for long hours.”
The ministry said Lee delivered a message to the attache, asking China to take measures to prevent a recurrence and to hold a meeting to set up additional inter-country military hotlines to prevent accidental clashes between the two countries.
Seoul's foreign ministry also said it summoned a Chinese official to express its regrets while urging Beijing to take measures to prevent a recurrence.
The moves came after the Chinese military jet entered South Korea's air defense zone three times without notice on Saturday. The aircraft entered the zone about 8:03 a.m. near Ieodo and left at 8:27 a.m., according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Saturday, government officials said.
It entered the zone again at 9:34 a.m. near Pohang and flew between Ulleung and the easternmost islets of Dokdo, leaving the zone at 12:51 p.m. The JCS said it was the first time a Chinese military plane had flown over the East Sea this year.
Experts say China's move is aimed at expanding into the area by normalizing the flights.
Chinese jets entered the zone without notice eight times last year.
A JCS official said the aircraft involved in Saturday's incident was believed to be a Y-9 reconnaissance plane.