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A Japanese light aircraft attempted to penetrate the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) near the disputed Dokdo Islets on Tuesday morning. The aircraft approached within a mile of the zone before being chased away. Four Air Force F-5 jetfighters ordered to intercept the aircraft came within 30 miles of the would-be intruder.
The KADIZ, a zone set up to defend Korean airspace by identifying and confirming flying objects and evaluating military threats, is actually wider than the airspace it protects. Foreign aircraft other than those flying regular routes need permission from the Korean government 24 hours prior to entering the zone.
An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the light aircraft belonging to Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper approached the KADIZ near the Dokdo Islets after informing the Air Control Center (ACC) in Incheon that it would enter the zone, but turned back when it was refused entry.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the plane took off from Osaka Airport at 9:14 a.m. and flew across the East Sea to the vicinity of the uninhabited islets. It turned back toward Japan at 9:53 after receiving four warning broadcasts from the Air Force.
As the Japanese plane was approaching the KADIZ, a monitoring center in Daegu ordered fighters on the ground to go on alert. At 9:52 a.m., it ordered a sortie of four F-5 fighters on patrol over the East Sea to head toward the Dokdo Islets. The jets came within 30 miles of the Japanese aircraft.
An official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it appeared the plane, which did not request permission to enter the KADIZ 24 hours in advance, wanted to take photographs of the Dokdo islets.
(Yu Yong-won, bemil@chosun.com )
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