South Korea fires warning shots at Russian bombers

SOUTH KOREA has said its aircraft fired hundreds of warning shots at a Russian military plane for violating its airspace in a showdown that also involved Chinese and Japanese aircraft.

Moscow has denied that shots were fired or that its planes were in Seoul’s airspace. This is the first time Russian military has been accused of encroaching upon Korea’s territory, raising new tensions in an area better known for standoffs with North Korea and China.

The incident, involving Russian and Chinese planes which were on their first ever joint patrol, took place over the disputed Dokdo islands, also known as Liancourt Rocks, in the Sea of Japan yesterday morning. The South Korean defence ministry said a Russian A-50 control and observation plane, two Russian Tu-95 bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers entered the Korean air defence identification zone.

The A-50 allegedly continued on to violate South Korean airspace. Intercepting F-15 and F-16 fighter jets fired 10 flares and 80 machine gun rounds, the defence ministry said. The Russian plane left the area but soon returned, whereupon the Korean jets fired another 10 flares and 280 rounds.

Seoul lodged an objection with Russia and warned that it “will take even stronger action” if the situation is repeated. Moscow said its bombers had flown over “neutral waters,” as it doesn’t recognise the Korean air defence identification zone, and claimed Korean F-16s cut them off in “unprofessional manoeuvres”.