South Korea, North Korea Discuss Incheon Air Route…A Hole through the Republic of Korea Sky?

2018-11-16, New Daily

Inter-Korean Aviation Conference to Discuss Pyongyang-Incheon direct air route…Will North Korea Slip through the UN Sanctions through South Korea?

The North-South aviation working meeting began at 10:00 am at the Gaeseong Inter-Korean Liaison Office.  The Ministry of National Defense said it would discuss ways to set the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and the Han River Estuary as no-fly zones.  Is North Korea demanding the opening of Pyongyang-Incheon direct flights and the alleviation of sanctions related to it?

The Ministry of Unification said on 16th through a regular briefing that the inter-Korean Aviation Working Group meeting is being held.  [We were told South Korean] side has five from the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs led by the ministry’s civil aviation policy director Sohn Myeong-Soo (손명수).  Five attended from North Korea led by the deputy director of civil aviation Ri Yong-sun (리영선).

According to the Ministry of Unification, the South-North Aviation Working Group Meeting is held at the request of North Korea.  A government official said, “The discussion agenda is not predetermined, so South Korea and North Korea will express interests and select the agenda for cooperation.”

Among these [topics for discussion] if the creation of air route(s) that go through the Incheon Flight Information Area (FIR, the flight zone on the Korean peninsula centered around Incheon International Airport).  In February, North Korea requested the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to “open a new route through Incheon FIR.”

“Suspicion of opening of Pyongyang-Incheon route growing”

The Ministry of National Defense said, “We will discuss the creation of peace zone in the entire NLL area and then discuss the establishment of no-fly zones in the NLL vicinity maritime area the entire Han River estuary.” It was only one day after the lame excuse that “it was a simple mistake to mis-express the inter-Korean military agreement’s no-fly zone in West Sea.”

North Korea’s Air Koryo is Actually North Korean Air Force

The South Korean government can claim that this is not a violation of the UN, U.S., or other sanctions.  When Kim Yo-jung’s party arrived [in South Korea] from North Korea on a plane, the [Moon] government insisted that it was not “a violation of sanctions against North Korea,” and the UN and the United States confirmed it.  The UN has stipulated that “Member States should not provide aircraft and related services to North Korea.”  It did not prohibit takeoff and landing of North Korean aircraft.

Even if Korea opens its West Sea NLL and airspace above, the Han River Estuary, and even Yeongjong Island in Incheon, it can not demand the [reciprocal] opening of airspace of some areas to North Korea in return.  
According to the U.S. sanctions on North Korea, “aircraft that flies through North Korean airspace cannot enter the U.S. for six months from that point,” so if aircraft goes though North Korean airspace, it will only incur loss.

South Korean and the U.S. military aircraft can’t (fly through the no-fly zones in South Korea), but the North Korean Air Force aircraft are free to fly through it

North Korea’s Air Koryo, is a private company in name only, but it actually belongs to the North Korean air force [Korean People’s Army Air Force and Anti-Air Force].  It could create a controversy not only domestically, but fo others, including the U.S. and Japan, for them [North Korea] to fly across the Korean airspace.  There are other problems.  After the the no fly zones over the NLL and the Han River Estuary are established, it appears another controversy would be that the South Korea-U.S. combined military aircraft will be prohibited from flying in the zones, while North Korean air force’s Air Koryo can fly freely [in the zone].

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