SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean fired warning shots after a Russian military plane violated South Korea's airspace on Tuesday, Seoul officials said, in the first such incident between the countries.

Three Russian military planes initially violated South Korea's aerial identification zone off its east coast before one of them entered the country's territorial sky, the South's Defense Ministry said.

South Korean fighter jets then scrambled to the area to fire warning shots, a ministry official said, requesting anonymity due to department rules.

The Russian plane left the area but it returned and violated the South Korean airspace again later Tuesday, the ministry official said. He said the South Korean fighter jets fired warning shots again.

It was the first time a Russian military plane violated South Korean airspace, according to South Korean officials.

The three Russian planes had violated the South Korean aerial identification zone with two Chinese military planes. But it wasn't immediately known whether the two countries deliberated did so, according to the South Korean official.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it plans to summon Russian and Chinese Embassy officials later Tuesday to register formal protests. </s> South Korean jets fired warning shots after a Russian military plane violated South Korea's airspace on Tuesday, Seoul officials said, in the first such incident between the countries.

Three Russian military planes initially entered South Korea's air defence identification zone off its east coast before one of them entered the country's territorial sky, the South's Defence Ministry said.

South Korean fighter jets then scrambled to the area to fire warning shots, a ministry official said, requesting anonymity due to department rules.

The Russian plane left the area but it returned and violated the South Korean airspace again later Tuesday, the ministry official said. He said the South Korean fighter jets fired warning shots again. Each time, the Russian plane didn't return fire, the official said.

It was the first time a Russian military plane violated South Korean airspace, according to South Korean officials.

The airspace the Russian plane violated was above a group of South Korean-held islets roughly halfway between South Korea and Japan that has been a source of territorial disputes between them. Russia isn't a party in those disputes.

The three Russian planes had entered the South Korean air defence identification zone with two Chinese military planes. But it wasn't immediately known whether the two countries deliberately did so, according to the South Korean official.

Before their joint flights with the Russian planes, the Chinese planes entered South Korea's air defence identification zone off its southwest coast earlier Tuesday, according to the South Korean official. Chinese planes have occasionally entered South Korea's air defence identification zone in recent years.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said it plans to summon Russian and Chinese Embassy officials later Tuesday to register formal protests. </s> SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said its air force jets fired warning shots on Tuesday to ward off a Russian military plane that intruded upon its territorial airspace, the first such encounter between the countries in decades.

Three Russian military planes, as well as two Chinese warplanes, entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone off its east coast, where foreign military aircraft must identify themselves in advance to South Korea, the South’s military said.

But one of the Russian planes flew closer to South Korea, intruding twice into its territorial airspace near Dokdo, a cluster of South Korean-held islets that are also claimed by Japan and are known as Takeshima to the Japanese, the South Korean military said.

Both times, the Russian plane violated South Korea’s airspace for a few minutes, prompting South Korean F-15 and F-16 fighter jets operating nearby to fire warning shots, the officials said. </s> Seoul says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes entered South Korea's airspace.

South Korean air force jets fired 360 rounds of warning shots after a Russian military plane briefly violated South Korea's airspace, off its east coast, twice on Tuesday, Seoul officials said.

It is the first such incident between the two countries.

The ministry said South Korea launched fighter jets and that they fired warning shots.

It added that Chinese military planes also intruded into South Korea's aerial identification zone on Tuesday.

The ministry gave no further details. </s> South Korea says its jets fired hundreds of warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday

Seoul (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / Online - 23rd July, 2019) South Korea says its jets fired hundreds of warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday.Officials said the plane twice violated the airspace over the Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by Seoul but also claimed by Japan.South Korea's Ministry of Defence said it scrambled fighter jets in response and fired 360 warning shots.Russia has denied violating the country's airspace.Moscow said two of its bombers carried out a planned drill over "neutral waters" and denied any warning shots were fired by South Korean jets.This is the first incident of its kind between Russia and South Korea.South Korea's military said the aircraft was one of three Russian and two Chinese military aircraft that entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday morning.

Overseas aircraft must identify themselves before entering the KADIZ.Russian and Chinese bombers and reconnaissance planes have occasionally entered the zone in recent years.However, South Korea said one of the Russian planes - an A-50 reconnaissance aircraft - flew further and entered the country's territorial airspace at around 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).South Korean F-15 and F-16 planes were deployed to intercept it.The head of South Korea's National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong, has lodged a strong objection with the Security Council of Russia, and asked the council to take appropriate action."We take a very grave view of this situation and, if it is repeated, we will take even stronger action," the South Korean president's office quoted Mr Chung as saying.There has been no comment from China. </s> Seoul says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes entered South Korea’s airspace.

South Korea’s defence ministry said multiple Russian military planes violated the South Korean airspace off its east coast on Tuesday.

The ministry said South Korea launched fighter jets and that they fired warning shots.

It added that Chinese military planes also intruded into South Korea’s aerial identification zone on Tuesday.

The ministry gave no further details. – PA </s> South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into South Korea's airspace

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into South Korea's airspace. </s> South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into airspace </s> South Korea's Defense Ministry on Tuesday said its fighter jets fired hundreds of warning shots after Russian and Chinese planes entered the country's airspace.

The Russian and Chinese warplanes were flying in the first joint operation of its kind, according to Moscow. South Korea scrambled F-16 fighters to intercept the Russian and Chinese warplanes, saying they were not authorized to enter its airspace.

"The South Korean military took tactical action including dropping flares and firing warning shots," the South Korean ministry said.

The alleged airspace violation occurred over the Dokdo islets, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan. Tokyo also lodged complaints with South Korea and Russia.

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'Perfecting' joint actions

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry denied that its aircraft had illegally entered South Korean airspace. It said the joint operation was part of a new air patrol between Russia and China.

"The joint patrol was carried out with the aim of deepening Russian-Chinese relations within our all-encompassing partnership, of further increasing cooperation between our armed forces, and of perfecting their capabilities to carry out joint actions, and of strengthening global strategic security," the ministry said.

From the Sea of Japan to the South China Sea, tensions between regional military powers have risen over the past decade.

South Korea said the incident was the first time since fighting ended in the 1950-53 Korean War that a foreign military aircraft had entered its airspace without permission.

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Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers were conducting drills in the area

ls,cw,jm/se (AP, Reuters, AFP)
South Korean fighter jets fire warning shots at three Russian planes as a reaction to an alleged violation of the country's national airspace.