Defecting Chinese Jet Pilot Flies His MIG to South Korea
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SEOUL, South Korea — A Chinese pilot defected to South Korea today, sparking an air raid warning in Seoul and surrounding areas as his Chinese-built MIG-19 jet fighter approached.
Defense Ministry spokesman Lee Hung Sik said two North Korean jets tried to intervene when the Chinese pilot waved his wings, signaling that he wanted to defect, but were turned back by South Korean military jets.
China promptly called on Seoul to return the plane and its pilot. Western analysts said Peking and Seoul, which do not have diplomatic relations, may hold talks on the return of the plane--not the pilot--through representatives in Hong Kong.
The country to which the Chinese pilot, Chen Baozhong, 26, wanted to defect was not immediately known, but all past defectors have gone to Taiwan.
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