ID :
49364
Fri, 03/06/2009 - 22:17
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/49364
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea assessing latest threats by N. Korea: official
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has begun to analyze the potential threats
posed by North Korea after the communist state warned against the safety of South
Korean airplanes flying over its eastern waters, a defense official said Friday.
North Korea said Thursday that it will not guarantee the safety of passenger
planes using its airspace over the East Sea as long as South Korea and the U.S.
refuse to cancel their forthcoming joint military drill.
South Korea denounced the announcement as "inhumane," while its commercial
airlines have rerouted their planes.
"Related defense bodies are working to analyze the military threats posed after
the announcement," an official at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense
said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The official declined to comment on whether North Korea may be trying to clear
its airspace ahead of a rocket launch that neighbors believe is likely to be a
missile test threatening the western U.S. North Korea says it is preparing to
launch a space satellite.
About 30 passenger planes, including 16 South Korean ones, daily ply the route
that technically falls into the Flight Information Region (FIR) -- an area
distinct from sovereign airspace but supervised by each nation closest to it --
according to the ministry.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea's sovereign air
space extends about 30 kilometers off its shore, while the FIR can cover up to
hundreds of kilometers.
The North said through its official media that it cannot ensure the security of
"South Korean civil airplanes flying through the territorial air of our side...
and its vicinity above the East Sea."
It cited the March 9-20 annual exercise to be conducted by South Korea and the
U.S., branding it as a precursor to invasion. The allies say the Key Resolve and
Foal Eagle drill is purely defense-oriented.
South Korea and the U.S. remain in a technical state of war with North Korea
after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has begun to analyze the potential threats
posed by North Korea after the communist state warned against the safety of South
Korean airplanes flying over its eastern waters, a defense official said Friday.
North Korea said Thursday that it will not guarantee the safety of passenger
planes using its airspace over the East Sea as long as South Korea and the U.S.
refuse to cancel their forthcoming joint military drill.
South Korea denounced the announcement as "inhumane," while its commercial
airlines have rerouted their planes.
"Related defense bodies are working to analyze the military threats posed after
the announcement," an official at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense
said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The official declined to comment on whether North Korea may be trying to clear
its airspace ahead of a rocket launch that neighbors believe is likely to be a
missile test threatening the western U.S. North Korea says it is preparing to
launch a space satellite.
About 30 passenger planes, including 16 South Korean ones, daily ply the route
that technically falls into the Flight Information Region (FIR) -- an area
distinct from sovereign airspace but supervised by each nation closest to it --
according to the ministry.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea's sovereign air
space extends about 30 kilometers off its shore, while the FIR can cover up to
hundreds of kilometers.
The North said through its official media that it cannot ensure the security of
"South Korean civil airplanes flying through the territorial air of our side...
and its vicinity above the East Sea."
It cited the March 9-20 annual exercise to be conducted by South Korea and the
U.S., branding it as a precursor to invasion. The allies say the Key Resolve and
Foal Eagle drill is purely defense-oriented.
South Korea and the U.S. remain in a technical state of war with North Korea
after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
