South Korea Releases Video Criticizing Japanese Over Patrol Plane Incident
In response to Japan’s video about the claimed use of a fire control radar against a patrol plane, the ROK Ministry Defense has now released their own video disputing the claims:
The first criticism in the video is that the Japanese aircraft flew at a low and threatening altitude. Here is a screen capture from the ROK perspective of the patrol plane. Does this look like a threatening aircraft?:
The next claim is that Japan is wrong about being in compliance with international law. The ROK video shows that the altitude and distance level the Japanese aircraft maintained was applicable only to civil aircraft according to international law:
This actually discredits Korea’s criticism because then the Japanese patrol aircraft could then fly at whatever altitude it wanted if there is no international standard military aircraft are held to. If there was a military standard between the ROK and Japan I would think they would have included it in the video.
The next claim in the video is that the Korean ship did not use its fire control radar against the Japanese plane. The video says the ship only had its search radar on. To counter the Japanese claim of the use of a fire control radar the video focuses on the fact that no guns from the ship were pointed at the aircraft. This is a completely separate issue that the Japanese side has never claimed. The issue was the use of the fire control radar.
The video also asks that if the fire control radar was used why didn’t the plane use emergency measures to escape. Watching the Japanese video it is clear the crew knew no weapons were pointed at them and thus likely did not feel threatened by the Korean ship.
The next claim is that the Japanese radio communications were unclear. The video had just one short snippet of audio which was unclear. However, there was much more broadcasts by the Japanese plane. I can understand though how trying to understand English spoken with a Japanese accident over a radio could be difficult for the crew on the ROK ship to understand.
Regardless the whole radio issue is really not important compared to the fire control radar issue. The ROK video concludes demanding that the Japanese release their radar data. The technology that nation’s use to collect radar frequency data is sensitive information that I would be surprised is released. However supposedly the Japanese are now considering it:
The South Korean video is “awful,” a senior Defense Ministry official said, adding, “We have to keep rebutting.”
Japan Times
The official noted that the South Korean video did not include radio messages sent by the Japanese patrol plane to the South Korean destroyer, which had been on the Japanese video.
Depending on the responses of South Korea, Tokyo is considering releasing radar wavelength data, usually a military secret, as additional evidence for its claim, sources familiar with the situation said.
Frustration is growing among an increasing number of Japanese government officials at South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s failure to act to resolve tensions over the incident.
Overall in my opinion the ROK video is not convincing, but will likely serve well for the domestic audience in Korea. Does anyone else have any other opinions on the ROK video?
Finally what is really amazing about this whole issue is that between most other countries this would likely be resolved internally between defense ministries instead of being fought over on Youtube. However, as we have seen with so many issues between ROK and Japan domestic politics get involved. As I have said repeatedly the Chinese and the North Koreans are loving this.
Gormless and feckless are two words a critic of the South Korean “responses” might use… 🙄
took a long time for the video…..thought korea could produce a video faster with rheir high tech equipment.
No reason to think Japan is just an innocent observer. This is good domestic PR for both governments.
CharlieM, non-Koreans might believe that after 5 or 6 bottles of Jinro…
South Korea is acting against their own interests in this… Without this amateurish attempt to make themselves look foolish, the news cycle would have passed this event by… Not it is Shakespearean… As in “the RoK Navy doth protest too much, methinks”…
BECAUSE! The Japanese aircraft “flying too close” has now become a justification for the Korean ship’s belligerent act. And sorta confirms it while also confirming the Japanese violated no international rules.
No Korean admits a wrong. When proven wrong they are still right and may use whataboutitis as justification. JPN may as well throw in the towel
OK, I’ll bite since you asked. Not that what I write below will change your mind, this is for others to read.
GIKorea simply chooses to take the side of the Japanese and takes their words over the Korean navy.
Here’s why I think that, with the rebuttal of each of his following points.
>”This actually discredits Korea’s criticism because then the Japanese patrol aircraft could then fly at whatever altitude it wanted if there is no international standard military aircraft are held to. ”
No it doesn’t. Think about it. Because that could also mean that there is no international maximum distance rule that says South Korean navy has no right to pointing the gun at an approaching plane. Japan says Koreans had no right to point the guns when they were well within the limits (which the rules are only for civilian planes). Koreans can say, that’s not what the international law says, there is no distance limit.
>The next claim in the video is that the Korean ship did not use its fire control radar against the Japanese plane. The video says the ship only had its search radar on. To counter the Japanese claim of the use of a fire control radar the video focuses on the fact that no guns from the ship were pointed at the aircraft. This is a completely separate issue that the Japanese side has never claimed. The issue was the use of the fire control radar.
If the fire control radar was on, those guns would have been pointing at that plane, ready to fire. As in the video you saw, the Japanese pilot is seen clearly saying the guns were not pointed at them. And they showed no urgency to evacuate the area to get away from the guns.
>Watching the Japanese video it is clear the crew knew no weapons were pointed at them and thus likely did not feel threatened by the Korean ship.
That’s right, Korean ships showed no threats to the pilots. What they stumbled onto was a non-fire control radar which the Korean destroyer along with the Korean coast guards were using to locate the small North Korean boats in the high waves.
> The technology that nation’s use to collect radar frequency data is sensitive information that I would be surprised is released. However supposedly the Japanese are now considering it:
It’s always up to the accusers who demand apologies that need to prove their accusations with evidence. If they’re willing to publish it then that’s their own problem. Saying “just trust the Japanese because I believe the Japanese over Koreans, this is what happened, and this is what the bad Koreans did”, is not a good enough case. It’s laughable that the Japanese are supposedly considering they will release their data. I say they won’t because they don’t have that data.
>Finally what is really amazing about this whole issue is that between most other countries this would likely be resolved internally between defense ministries instead of being fought over on Youtube.
You know it’s funny you don’t criticize Japan in this case, over that very point. You are aware that Japan and South Korea were in discussion internally, both using video conferencing to resolve this disagreement. It was Japanese PM Abe who ordered the Japanese video to be released demanding an apology from South Korea to the Youtube… even before that internal talk between SK and Japan even concluded, surprising the Korean side. Abe released that video despite the objections from his military leaders. How come you don’t criticize Japan’s moves to politicize this incident? We all know, if Korea was the one who did this, you’d be criticizing Korea and calling it a politicization.
>”South Korea is acting against their own interests in this… Without this amateurish attempt to make themselves look foolish”
Setnaffa, you are aware that the US locked their radar and cocked their guns at an approaching Russian jet that flew 900 feet from a US destroyer, earlier last year in May? The Russians never demanded an apology, but it was the US who demanded the Russians for an apology. Was that justified?
Dear lovely nork agitprop troll:
Please leave me out of your fevered imaginations. No one is going to think less of you when you are marched willingly into a nork reeducation camp.
It’s clear you’re watching a different movie than the rest of us. And “whataboutism” is a bad look on anyone. Makes you look like you voted for Moon knowing who he is.
Sincerely,
setnaffa
(with a small “s”)
International diplomacy through twitter and youtube. That’s the world we live in these days.