CINA

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Sung-il gives the thumbs-up after boarding one of Korea’s new F-15K fighters to pilot it in a sortie over Dokdo.

The F-15Ks, which started arriving in pairs last October, acquitted themselves well in the operation. In an emergency, the aircraft with a top speed of Mach 2.5 could reach Dokdo from base in eight minutes, and while the current core Air Force fighter jet, the KF-16, would be capable of little more than five minutes of air battle if it flew from the central region, the F-15K can carry out fighting operations for up to an hour after taking off from the Daegu base.

The aim of the exercise was to encourage pilots and mark the New Year as well as check the F-15K in operation. Air Force officials said the flight was symbolic of the Air Force’s determination to defend Dokdo. The islets attract an annual trickle of quasi-official territorial claims from Japan. (Chosun Ilbo, 1.03)

NATIONALIST IDIOTS

OF THE KOREAS* UNITE!