Japanese patrol plane in another 'aggressive' flight near S. Korean warship
- 5 years ago
일본 초계기 또 우리 함정에 근접 비행, 정경두 국방장관 간담회에서 "정치적 의도 있어보여" 발언
A Japanese patrol aircraft has once again conducted what's being called an "aggressive" low-altitude flight near a South Korean warship.
This happened at about 2pm today local time, in the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone near Ieodo Island.
Seoul's defense ministry strongly condemned the 'provocative' close-range flight.
Park Ji-won has our top story.
On Wednesday, a Japanese P-3 aircraft conducted what South Korea says was an aggressive and threatening low-altitude flight near one of its warships.
It happened in South Korea's exclusive economic zone near the nation's southernmost Island of Ieodo.
The South Korean ship was on a routine operation... when the Japanese aircraft approached as close as 540 meters... at an altitude of just 60 meters.
Normally military patrol aircraft give other countries' warships a berth of at least a couple of thousand meters in distance and at least 300 meters in altitude, since they can identify ships from that distance.
The South Korean vessel sent more than twenty messages to the Japanese plane,... requesting that it change its course,... because it was close enough to identify the ship and was flying in a threatening manner.
The ship also sent a message saying it would have no choice but to defend itself if the plane continued to approach.
And that was the one and only point the Japanese pilot responded to -- never answering what was the intention of the flight... even though he was asked yet one more time.
"The fact that Japan has conducted another aggressive, low-altitude flight despite South Korea's clear requests that it prevent this from happening again... is an unambiguous provocation against a ship beloning to a military partner. Thus we cannot help but question Japan's intentions,... and we strongly condemn Japan's actions. Should this happen again, we will respond in line with our military's code of conduct."
South Korea's defense ministry summoned the Japanese military attache at five p.m. Wednesday to deliver a strong protest.
Similar aggressive, low-altitude flights had happened twice this month already -- on the 18th and the 22nd.
They raise questions about Japan's intentions,... especially when the neighbors were already at loggerheads of the first incident late last month... when Japan claimed one of its planes was targeted by a South Korean warship.
South Korea said it has scientific evidence that its targeting radar was not used at the time.
A military expert in Seoul said Japan is trying to provoke the South Korean Navy into use the targeting radar to build a case against it.
Meanwhile, South Korea's defense minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said,... during a press conference earlier in the day,... that he thinks Japan seems to have political intentions.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.
A Japanese patrol aircraft has once again conducted what's being called an "aggressive" low-altitude flight near a South Korean warship.
This happened at about 2pm today local time, in the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone near Ieodo Island.
Seoul's defense ministry strongly condemned the 'provocative' close-range flight.
Park Ji-won has our top story.
On Wednesday, a Japanese P-3 aircraft conducted what South Korea says was an aggressive and threatening low-altitude flight near one of its warships.
It happened in South Korea's exclusive economic zone near the nation's southernmost Island of Ieodo.
The South Korean ship was on a routine operation... when the Japanese aircraft approached as close as 540 meters... at an altitude of just 60 meters.
Normally military patrol aircraft give other countries' warships a berth of at least a couple of thousand meters in distance and at least 300 meters in altitude, since they can identify ships from that distance.
The South Korean vessel sent more than twenty messages to the Japanese plane,... requesting that it change its course,... because it was close enough to identify the ship and was flying in a threatening manner.
The ship also sent a message saying it would have no choice but to defend itself if the plane continued to approach.
And that was the one and only point the Japanese pilot responded to -- never answering what was the intention of the flight... even though he was asked yet one more time.
"The fact that Japan has conducted another aggressive, low-altitude flight despite South Korea's clear requests that it prevent this from happening again... is an unambiguous provocation against a ship beloning to a military partner. Thus we cannot help but question Japan's intentions,... and we strongly condemn Japan's actions. Should this happen again, we will respond in line with our military's code of conduct."
South Korea's defense ministry summoned the Japanese military attache at five p.m. Wednesday to deliver a strong protest.
Similar aggressive, low-altitude flights had happened twice this month already -- on the 18th and the 22nd.
They raise questions about Japan's intentions,... especially when the neighbors were already at loggerheads of the first incident late last month... when Japan claimed one of its planes was targeted by a South Korean warship.
South Korea said it has scientific evidence that its targeting radar was not used at the time.
A military expert in Seoul said Japan is trying to provoke the South Korean Navy into use the targeting radar to build a case against it.
Meanwhile, South Korea's defense minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said,... during a press conference earlier in the day,... that he thinks Japan seems to have political intentions.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.