Dueling airspace: South Korea expands air defense zone

South Korea on Sunday announced an expansion of its air defense identification zone following China's move to establish a similar zone that has been criticized by Beijing's neighbors.

South Korea earlier requested that China redraw its air identification zone because it partly overlaps with South Korea's, but Beijing refused. The U.S., Japan and other countries have also protested the Chinese zone.

Beijing said last month that all aircraft entering the vast area must identify themselves and follow Chinese instructions.The U.S., Japan and South Korea have flown military reconnaissance flights in the area without notifying China in defiance of Beijing's announcement.

The new South Korean zone covers a submerged reef that South Korea controls but that China also claims, and it also will include parts of airspace in the zone that China has drawn. The new South Korean zone also overlaps with parts of the Japanese air identification zone.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters that South Korea will discuss with neighboring countries steps to prevent accidental clashes within the South Korean zone. He said that South Korea's zone did not infringe upon any country's airspace and that Seoul had sufficiently explained its action to its neighbors before the announcement.

The U.S. State Department supported South Korea, saying its approach "avoids confusion for, or threats to, civilian airlines."

"The United States has been and will remain in close consultation with our allies and partners in the region to ensure their actions contribute to greater stability, predictability, and consistency with international practices," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

South Korea's air defense identification zone was originally established by the U.S. Air Force in 1951 during the Korean War. The extension of the zone will not apply any restrictions to the operation of commercial flights, the defense ministry announced separately in a statement. The move will take effect Dec. 15, it said.

There was no immediate reaction from China, although Beijing's response to news last week that South Korea was reviewing its options on the air identification zone was relatively muted.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday that any move by South Korea must "accord with international law and norms," but added: "China is willing to maintain communications with South Korea on the basis of equality and mutual respect."

The decision by China that kicked off the latest spat was the subject of a tense disagreement as Vice President Joe Biden visited China last week, stressing Washington's objections to the move that he said caused "significant apprehension" in the region.

Ties between China and Japan, always fraught due to regional rivalry and lingering bitterness from World War II, have been strained for months by the dispute over islands in the East China Sea called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan.

Washington takes no position on the sovereignty of the islands, but recognizes Tokyo's administrative control and says a U.S.-Japan security pact applies to them.

Beijing says its zone is in accordance with international law and Washington and others should respect it.

Under the Chinese zone's rules, all aircraft have to report flight plans to Chinese authorities, maintain radio contact and reply promptly to identification inquiries.

U.S., Japanese and South Korean military aircraft have breached the zone without informing Beijing since it was announced. South Korean and Japanese commercial planes have also been advised by their governments not to follow China's rules.

Al Jazeera and wire services