Officials in South Korea say the country’s jets fired 360 rounds of warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace yesterday.
In the first reported incident of its kind between Russia and South Korea, fighter jets were reportedly scrambled to the area to fire warning shots. Seoul defence officials said Moscow’s aircraft left the area three minutes later but returned and violated South Korean airspace again for four more minutes.
However, the claim was swiftly disputed by Moscow. Russia’s defence ministry said that South Korean fighter jets had not fired any warning shots, though it conceded that they had flown near the Russian planes in what it called “unprofessional manoeuvres” and posed a threat.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“If the Russian pilots felt there was a security threat, they would have responded,” the statement said.
Korea Times said the airspace in question “was above a group of South Korean-held islets roughly halfway between South Korea and Japan that has been a source of territorial disputes”.
The BBC’s Seoul correspondent writes that the move sees Moscow “either testing or prodding a US ally, just as Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton arrives in Seoul”.
CNN says the “chaotic and unprecedented confrontation” saw warplanes from four countries “face off,” as both South Korea and Japan said that two Chinese H-6 bombers had joined the Russian military aircraft on sorties through the region as well.
The Guardian points out that the former Soviet Union “supported North Korea and provided the country with weapons during the Korean war, which killed millions”.
South Korea's presidential office said the country’s top security adviser Chung Eui-yong urged Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of Russia, to assess the incident and take action.
"We take a very grave view of this situation and, if it is repeated, we will take even stronger action," Mr Chung said, according to South Korea's presidential office.
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
South Korea elects liberal Lee as presidentspeed read Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, was elected president following months of political instability in the wake of Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
