South Korea, Japan scramble fighter jets

SEOUL: South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets yesterday as six Russian and two Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone without notice. Japan’s military also said it had scrambled jets in response to flights over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, by Russian and Chinese aircraft.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Chinese H-6 bombers entered and exited the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone near South Korea’s southern and north-eastern coasts early yesterday.

Hours later they returned to the zone from the East Sea, accompanied by Russian warplanes, including two Su-35 fighter jets.