"South Korea and Japan Complete Signing of Measures to Prevent Recurrence of Patrol Aircraft Conflict" Japanese Media

On the 27th, Japan's Mainichi Shimbun reported, citing a Japanese government official, that the South Korean Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have completed the signing procedure for a document outlining measures to prevent the recurrence of the so-called 'patrol aircraft conflict.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the report, the document contains a commitment from both sides to mutually cooperate in adhering to the 'Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES),' and it is said to have been signed by Navy Chief of Staff Yang Yong-mo and Maritime Staff Officer Sakai Ryo.

Additionally, the document reportedly includes provisions to strengthen communication and build trust by actively responding to each other for proper communication between the two countries' units. The Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force are also said to discuss additional improvement measures as needed, the media outlet reported.

The patrol aircraft conflict escalated in December 2018 when the South Korean Navy's Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyer, which was searching for a North Korean fishing boat in distress in the East Sea, was accused by Japan of illuminating a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft near the ship with its fire-control radar. The South Korean Navy denied the radar illumination, asserting instead that the patrol aircraft conducted threatening flights near their ship.