Defense Ministry officials, who appear to have been caught off-guard by the shooting, said there was no need for alarm since the plane was 12.5 kilometers out of range of the soldiers' Korean-made rifles, most of which didn't work anyway. They accused Asiana of 'overreacting' to the new tourism initiative. "Many countries like to take extra steps to welcome visitors,” a spokesman said, "for example in Hawaii people are given flower necklaces on arrival to signify the paradise-like nature of the islands. Korea is more famous for civil war and domestic violence, so firing tracer bullets into the air as tourists arrive is a natural way to celebrate Visit Korea Year 2010-2012."
But as international condemnation grew, the government said that their spokesmen had 'mis-spoken', and no gunfire-welcoming policy had been authorized, with the incident instead being attributed to the individualism of two soldiers who believed the white Asiana airliner, with it's brightly multicolored tail fin, looked like a North Korean plane. The soldiers will not be disciplined, but will receive further training to ensure they commit no further acts of individualism or free-thought.
In the wake of the incident, China, which regards the airspace from Europe across Asia to the coast of California as its own, called on the Korean government to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft flying within its territory. Some Chinese media organizations suggested Korea's image has been "tarnished" by the shooting, making the planned 2014 invasion of South Korea diplomatically easier. The government is says it is taking a tough stance and has no intention of discussing the matter further with the Chinese, but later it will relent, meet with them, and probably apologize as well.
While privately senior ministers admit that shooting at passenger planes over Korea was a mistake, other 'Warhub' plans such as live-fire exercises and false flag incidents will still go ahead in order to ensure Korea's current right-wing government is re-elected.
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