South Korea has expressed concern over China's unilateral declaration of a "no-fly zone" in the Yellow Sea, where China and the Republic of Korea's territorial waters overlap, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said today, as quoted by Yonhap, BTA reported.
In a statement to reporters, a Foreign Ministry official referred to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and explained that both sides are permitted to conduct military exercises in the Temporary Sea Zone (TSZ), where the two countries' exclusive economic zones overlap.
"However, China's establishment of a no-fly zone within the TSZ, which excessively restricts freedom of navigation, raises "concern," the official added, stressing that these concerns had been conveyed to Beijing through diplomatic channels.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it was closely coordinating with the Defense Ministry and other ministries to determine whether China's actions were in line with international maritime law.
"The government will continue to act actively, through close cooperation between relevant ministries, to ensure that our legitimate rights and interests are not violated," the foreign ministry official told Yonhap.
Earlier this week, the US magazine "Newsweek" reported that the Chinese government had declared a no-fly zone in the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea after unilaterally erecting steel structures in the western part of the temporary maritime zone.