ID :
189957
Tue, 06/21/2011 - 02:11
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/189957
The shortlink copeid
Safety of civilian aircraft
(Yonhap) - When South Korea started to build an airport on Yeongjong Island in 1992, critics said it was too foggy and too close to North Korea. In less than two decades, Incheon International Airport has proved these skeptics wrong and it has emerged as the world???s No. 1 in services and facility.
Or has it? The incident last Friday, in which two Marines fired rifles at a civilian jetliner after mistaking it for a North Korean military aircraft, shows the airport has yet to fully overcome the two major concerns.
By all appearances, the Asiana Airlines flight carrying 119 people from the Chinese city of Chengdu was flying on the right course. A Marine spokesman also acknowledged that dense fog might have caused the soldiers to misidentify the aircraft, but said the military would not punish the duo, as they were ``following their training."
If the corporal and private first class did as they were told, they should be free from blame. But then someone who ``trained??? them must be held accountable. One can???t help but shudder to think what would have happened had they used not rifles but longer-range antiaircraft guns. Follow-up reports say it took no fewer than 20 minutes for the Marines to tell the guard post it was a civilian aircraft.
Right after the incident, they said the airplane might be flying off the course and reversed this quickly, in what could be seen as an attempt to avoid taking responsibility. The public also found out about the dangerous mistake not from announcements by the military or the airliner but through media reports. The Marine headquarters should have refrained from any acts that might cause suspicions about cover-ups or play-down attempts.
It is noteworthy that the incident took place two days after the military set up a command to beef up its defense posture in the West Sea. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has told soldiers to ``act (or fire) first and report later??? since last year. We suspect the two circumstances might have combined to drive soldiers to err on the side of boldness than on timidity.
This is extremely risky, thinking the core of managing military crises lies in control on firing. We cannot overemphasize the importance of an airtight security stance, but action requires cool-headedness. Especially because North Korea has ceaselessly hinted at the possibility of additional provocation. The current situation forces Seoul to be both perfectly prepared and, at the same time, maximally hard-headed in vigilance.
It would be foolish and dangerous if the government regards this as another misfiring incident. Nothing less than three-dimensional complementary measures can prevent a recurrence. It must find the blind spots in its vigilance system, including the thorough training of soldiers as well as check the safety of flying routes and improve communication systems between military units and commercial aviation authorities.
All parties involve must spare no efforts to turn this hair-raising mishap into a blessing in disguise.
Or has it? The incident last Friday, in which two Marines fired rifles at a civilian jetliner after mistaking it for a North Korean military aircraft, shows the airport has yet to fully overcome the two major concerns.
By all appearances, the Asiana Airlines flight carrying 119 people from the Chinese city of Chengdu was flying on the right course. A Marine spokesman also acknowledged that dense fog might have caused the soldiers to misidentify the aircraft, but said the military would not punish the duo, as they were ``following their training."
If the corporal and private first class did as they were told, they should be free from blame. But then someone who ``trained??? them must be held accountable. One can???t help but shudder to think what would have happened had they used not rifles but longer-range antiaircraft guns. Follow-up reports say it took no fewer than 20 minutes for the Marines to tell the guard post it was a civilian aircraft.
Right after the incident, they said the airplane might be flying off the course and reversed this quickly, in what could be seen as an attempt to avoid taking responsibility. The public also found out about the dangerous mistake not from announcements by the military or the airliner but through media reports. The Marine headquarters should have refrained from any acts that might cause suspicions about cover-ups or play-down attempts.
It is noteworthy that the incident took place two days after the military set up a command to beef up its defense posture in the West Sea. Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin has told soldiers to ``act (or fire) first and report later??? since last year. We suspect the two circumstances might have combined to drive soldiers to err on the side of boldness than on timidity.
This is extremely risky, thinking the core of managing military crises lies in control on firing. We cannot overemphasize the importance of an airtight security stance, but action requires cool-headedness. Especially because North Korea has ceaselessly hinted at the possibility of additional provocation. The current situation forces Seoul to be both perfectly prepared and, at the same time, maximally hard-headed in vigilance.
It would be foolish and dangerous if the government regards this as another misfiring incident. Nothing less than three-dimensional complementary measures can prevent a recurrence. It must find the blind spots in its vigilance system, including the thorough training of soldiers as well as check the safety of flying routes and improve communication systems between military units and commercial aviation authorities.
All parties involve must spare no efforts to turn this hair-raising mishap into a blessing in disguise.
