hankyoreh

It has belatedly emerged that an outrageous incident took place early in the morning on June 17 when marine corps sentries stationed at Gyodong Island in Gangwha County mistook an Asiana Airplanes passenger jet for a North Korean Air Force plane and fired rifle shots at it for ten minutes. Fortunately, there was no damage, but this was far too close to becoming a major catastrophe.
There are a number of aspects of this situation that provoke questions and concerns, including the reason for the soldiers’ mistake and the failure of the military to relate the events in a timely manner. The Ministry of National Defense’s approach of trying to gloss over the incident, calling it simply an “unforeseen situation,” however, is simply exasperating and pathetic.
Airline company officials were unanimous in calling the incident “unprecedented and incomprehensible.” To begin with, it is not clear why the sentries fired, given that the plane in question, a passenger jet that departed from the Chinese city of Chengdu with 119 passengers and crew members on board, was on a normal flight course. The military is blaming the natural environment, pointing to the fact that it was “early morning, with ocean fog.” But if the environment was the major factor behind this incident, then there is a serious problem, since the West Sea is often foggy in the early morning hours. This means that a similar incident could occur again at any time.
A number of problems were revealed with the military’s response as well. After the incident took place, the military said it appeared the plane had deviated from its course, only to later admit the sentries’ mistake and say there had been no deviation. Given how easy it is to check for deviations with the aerial control center, one has to wonder whether the military made its claim in order to avoid immediate questions about its responsibility. Also difficult to understand is the fact that the incident was disclosed by the press rather than through official announcements by the armed forces and airline. It appears very likely that the military sought to keep the situation under wraps internally and applied pressure on the airline not to reveal it to the outside.
The course where the incident took place is reportedly used by aircraft originating not only from China, Russia, and Central Asia but also from the eastern United States. Countless South Korean and international passengers may be left experiencing anxiety. In addition, this situation occurred at a time when tensions on the border with North Korea are at a height due to the Cheonan sinking and Yeonpyeong Island shelling, a fact that is drawing major attention from the foreign press.
The military must now give an accurate account of the situation to avoid a needless escalation in tensions over this incident. It also needs to take active response measures, including stepping up its training efforts so that sentries recognize private aircraft and establishing an effective command system.
　　
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]