South Korea fires warning shots at Russian jet after ‘unprecedented airspace violation’

Aircraft were accompanying Chinese military aircraft when incursion took place, officials say

File image shows a South Korean coast guard looking out at the Dokdo islets on a patrol ship in the East Sea, South Korea (AP)

South Korea says its airforce repeatedly fired warning shots at a Russian jet that twice violated its territorial airspace on Tuesday.

The defence ministry said three Russian jets were accompanying two Chinese military planes when one of them made the encroachment, the first time a Russian aircraft has done so.

South Korean fighter jets were scrambled to respond and, after they fired warning shots, the Russian jet left the area. But it returned and violated the South Korean airspace again later on Tuesday, a ministry official said. He said the South Korean fighter jets fired warning shots again.

Defence ministry officials said all three Russian jets and both Chinese aircraft had entered South Korea’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), an area beyond the country’s territorial airspace where aircraft are tracked for national security purposes.

South Korea said it planned to summon both Russian and Chinese embassy officials later on Tuesday to register formal protests.

While it is the first such incident between South Korea and Russia, Chinese aircraft have occasionally entered South Korea’s ADIZ in the past.

The violation occurred over Dokdo – an island that is occupied by South Korea and also claimed by Japan, which calls it Takeshima – just after 9am (midnight GMT).

“The South Korean military took tactical action including dropping flares and firing a warning shot,” the defence ministry statement said.

The Russian aircraft left South Korean airspace but then entered it again about 20 minutes later, prompting the South Koreans to fire another warning shot.

The ministry said South Korean warplanes “conducted a normal response” to the incursion, without giving further details.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that Russian and Chinese airforces “did not violate the air space of other countries”.

China’s foreign ministry said South Korea’s ADIZ was not territorial airspace and all countries enjoyed freedom of movement in it.