The warning shots were fired after Russian military jets intruded into the Republic of Korea’s airspace. The confrontation comes after the Putin-Kim summit, where Russia has stepped up its economic ties with North Korea. According to the Yonhap news agency, a warplane trespassed over the Sea of Japan twice in an “unprecedented” act.
Military officers said the Air Force scrambled fighter jets and fired warning shots following the incursion.
The ministry says South Korea launched fighter jets and that they fired warning shots.
It says Chinese military planes also intruded into South Korea’s aerial identification zone on Tuesday.
The ministry gave no further details.
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The military planes violated South Korea’s air defence identification zone(KADIZ) on Tuesday morning.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that two Chinese military planes and three Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ without prior notice.
It added that one of the Russian planes violated South Korean airspace twice near the Dokdo islets.
The Republic of Korea military immediately sent fighter jets, including F-15Ks and KF-16s, and fired warning shots towards the Russian plane.
Tuesday’s incursion marks the first time that a Russian military plane has violated South Korea’s airspace.
The South Korean Defence Ministry and the Foreign Ministry plan to summon officials from the Chinese and Russian embassies in Seoul later on Tuesday to strongly protest this latest violation.
News of the Russian aircraft comes one month after Japanese military officials said two Russian TU-95 strategic bombers violated Japan’s airspace.
The Japanese military claimed there were 340 airspace violations with Russian aircraft last year alone.