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Russia hit for denying any act of intrusion
A Russian warplane violated South Korea's airspace twice Tuesday. This incident should not be brushed off as it constitutes a grave violation of the country's territorial sovereignty. That's why Seoul must lodge a strong protest with Moscow over the case. The Moon Jae-in government also needs to make every effort to keep Korea's territorial skies safe and inviolable.
Regrettably, the Russian government is inviting criticism for denying any act of intrusion into Korean airspace. In an official statement sent to the defense ministry Wednesday, Moscow said its aircraft did not violate Korea's airspace. Then it claimed that the Korean Air Force conducted unprofessional maneuvers that jeopardized the safety of its plane's crew.
Russia's denial is a far cry from Cheong Wa Dae's earlier explanation that Moscow told Seoul the airspace intrusion was not intentional and was probably caused by a technical "glitch." The presidential office even quoted a Russian military attache as saying that Moscow expressed "deep regret." This raises the question of whether the Moon administration is properly dealing with such a provocative act.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft trespassed into Korean airspace above the East Sea near the country's easternmost Dokdo islets for three minutes from around 9:09 a.m. The violation took place after the plane entered Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without any prior notice. Then the aircraft encroached upon our airspace again for four minutes from 9:33 a.m.
This is the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War that a warplane of another country has violated South Korea's airspace. It was also the first time for our military jets to fire warning shots toward a foreign warplane. The unprecedented incident is raising concerns among South Koreans that their country might be caught in the crossfire of a new Cold War rivalry involving the U.S.-Japan alliance and the increasing China-Russia solidarity.
The intrusion was made while Russia and China were conducting their first joint military drill for long-range air patrols in the Asia-Pacific region. It came after two Tu-95 Russian bombers and two Chinese H-6 warplanes entered the KADIZ in the early morning. The Russian bombers entered the air defense zone again in the afternoon.
The Korean military responded to the Russian aircraft's violation by deploying 20 fighter jets, including F-15s and KF-16s, to force the intruding plane to steer away from Korean airspace. They fired 360 warning shots.
Seoul should conduct an investigation to check if the violation was intentional or not. It needs to ask Moscow to take all necessary measures to avoid a recurrence. The government should also take bold steps to prevent the frequent intrusions into the KADIZ by foreign aircraft. Chinese warplanes have entered the defense zone 25 times and Russian aircraft 13 times so far this year.
More serious is that Japan used the Russian violation as an opportunity to reiterate its territorial clam over Dokdo. Tokyo lodged a protest with Seoul over the incident after its Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga accused the Russian aircraft of violating its territory. Japan's Self-Defense Air Force also scrambled its fighter jets and sent them over the East Sea.
The Moon government should take strong action against Tokyo's renewed claim to the Korean territory. This claim could aggravate the already soured bilateral ties, making it harder to find a solution to the mounting trade row. Japan should refrain from escalating tensions with Korea.
