Countering China, S. Korea Expands Its Own Air Defense Zone
Another diplomatic shot was fired in the spate unfolding over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea on Sunday: Countering China, South Korea announced that it was expanding its air defense zone to partially cover some of the same area China laid claim to in November.
Here's how The Washington Post explains it:
"South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said the new zone would include two small islands and a submerged rock historically disputed with China. Air defense identification zones are not territorial claims, but they mark the airspace that countries feel are important to monitor. Officials in Washington and across Asia say the competing aerial zones raise the risk of mishaps that could trigger a broader conflict.
"South Korea plans to hold talks with 'related countries' in order to 'prevent accidental military clashes' within the expanded zone, the defense ministry said in a statement. The South said the zone, known as an ADIZ, would take effect December 15."