South Korea demands China redraw air defence zone

South Korea demanded Thursday that China modify its newly declared air defense zone, saying the area encroaches on that of the South and covers the underwater rock of the South Korean-controlled Ieodo Island, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing sources. Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo made the demand during high-level defense strategy talks in Seoul with China, according to the report. The meeting took place amid spiking regional tensions over Beijing's unilateral setting of the air defense identification zone. Baek said the South cannot recognize the zone as it was set unilaterally, without any prior consultations with Seoul. It was not immediately known how Baek's counterpart, Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, reacted to the demand. Last week, China declared the zone over a large area of the East China Sea, obligating all aircraft entering the area to report to Chinese authorities and follow their instructions. The zone, which is set to determine if planes entering it are civilian or military, partly overlaps those of South Korea and Japan. The Chinese zone also includes a set of islands at the center of a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo - known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan - and the underwater rock of Ieodo Island that China has laid claim to. South Korea has built a marine science research base on the rock. South Korea expressed regret and filed a protest earlier this week. The Chinese zone also includes Japanese islands that the US has used as firing ranges. In a clear sign it won't recognize the zone, the US military flew a pair of B-52 bombers through the zone on Tuesday, sparking concerns about a clash between the two military powers