U.S. Likely to Send Aegis Cruiser to East Sea

The New York Times quoted on March 8 a senior U.S. official as saying that the U.S. Navy is likely to dispatch an Aegis cruiser to the East Sea, (the Sea of Japan), in order to protect U.S. reconnaissance plans that gather information about North Korea.

According to the newspaper, if a cruiser is sent to the East Sea, U.S. spy planes operating over the sea will be able to issue early warnings when North Korean fighter jets get too close.

Since last week’s incident in which four North Korean MiG’s intercepted a U.S. RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft, U.S. Pacific Command, headquartered in Hawaii, has been working out safety measures for U.S. spy planes, the newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, the New York Times on the Internet reported that "the North Korean fighter jets that intercepted an unarmed American spy plane over the Sea of Japan last weekend were trying to force the aircraft to land in North Korea and seize its crew," citing a senior defense official’s words. "One of the four North Korean MiG’s came within 50 feet of the American plane, an Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft, and the pilot made internationally recognized hand signals to follow him, presumably back to his home base," the online edition of the paper also reported.

Kwan-Hee Hong konihong@donga.com