WW3 alert: South Korea scrambles military jets as China aircraft enters defence territory
SOUTH Korea was put on “high alert” and scrambled military jets after China’s aircraft invaded the South’s air defence today, as tensions mount on the Korean peninsula.
By LATIFA YEDROUDJ
Express.co.uk
Sat, Apr 28, 2018
The unprecedented arrival of the Chinese aircraft alerted South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said the “military reconnaissance plane” had spent almost four hours in the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.
Seoul had filed a report over a similar incident two months ago, making this China’s third aerial trespass this year.
China’s Defence Ministry failed to respond when asked to comment on Saturday, following the long holiday weekend.
And China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations saying the flights were in line with international law and practice and that “air defence identification zones are not territorial air space”.
China’s burgeoning aeronautical activity spans far from its borders, including travels into the Western Pacific and often passing through a southern Japanese island chain around Taiwan.
But China claims the air space as “its own”.
Beijing insists there is “no hostile intent” but say air drills near Taiwan are done to make it clear to the democratic island that there “will be consequences” if it tries to gain a formal independence.
Back in February, more than 10 military aircrafts, including F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets were scrambled after a Chinese plane intercepted South Korean territory.
This aircraft risked “accidental conflict” as the jet skirted around for more than four hours without giving notice to officials.
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