By Kim Jae-won



The government instructed Korean carriers Monday not to comply with China's new air defense zone rule over the East China Sea, raising worries that it may put passengers' safety at risk.



The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said that it ordered airlines not to submit flight plans to China, ignoring the neighboring country's demand that it be told of any flights passing through the zone.



"We instructed airlines to stay on their initial stance over the air defense zone," said Hong Seong-min, a ministry official.



At the same time, the government plans to expand its own air defense zone and start to explain it to the United States, China and Japan from next week.



The instructions came as regional tension has risen sharply following China's unilateral declaration last week of its new Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, which largely overlaps that of Japan's and also encroaches upon Korea.



The declaration of the Chinese air zone requires all aircraft entering the zone to inform China of their flights and obey the country's instructions or face "defensive emergency measures" by the Chinese military. Beijing said that it launched two fighter planes in the zone to investigate a dozen American and Japanese reconnaissance and military flights.



Korean Air, the nation's largest carrier, said that it has no choice but to follow the government's instructions.



"We have no authority to decide on the matter. We just follow what the government orders us to do," said Jang Seon-wook, a spokeswoman of Korean Air.



Asiana Airlines, the No. 2 carrier in the country, said that the company is waiting for an official statement from the government on the matter.



"We were told from the ministry that we should do the same as what we have done over the Chinese air defense zone. However, we received no official statement yet," said Suh Ki-won, a spokesman of the airline.



Experts say that the government has gone too far with the instructions, considering that the U.S. advised the country's carriers to comply with China's demands about its air defense zone.



U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Friday that the U.S. government is advising America air carriers abroad to comply with notification requirements issued by China, though the U.S. remains deeply concerned about China's declared air identification zone, The Associated Press reported.



Meanwhile, Sunday, top presidential officials discussed ways to expand Korea's air defense zone to include the country's island of Marado and Hongdo, as well as the Ieodo Ocean Research Station.



The station is built on top of a submerged rock formation within the overlapping exclusive economic zones of South Korea and China.



"(The new ADIZ) has been conceptually finalized," a senior government official said, requesting anonymity due to sensitivity of the issue.



"The government will announce the plan after carefully reviewing the military operation and aviation safety, as well as the international regulations."



