SEOUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) – South Korea scrambled fighter jets after a group of about 10 North Korean military jets flew close to the border that divides the two countries, the General Staff said South Korea set, amid rising tensions over North Korea’s repeated missile tests.
The statement said the North Korean aircraft was spotted flying about 25 km (15 miles) north of the Military Demarcation Line in the central region of the Korean border area and about 12 km (7 miles) north of the Northern Limit Line, de facto. inter-Korean border at the Yellow Sea. The incident happened between 10.30pm on Thursday (1.30pm GMT) and 0.20am (3.30pm GMT) local time on Friday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the opening ceremony of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm to mark the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party in North Korea, in this undated photo on October 11, 2022 by the North Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS/File photo
He said the plane was also seen near the eastern part of the inter-Korean border.
The statement said South Korea’s air force “conducted an emergency sortie with its superior air force, including the F-35A, and maintained a response posture, while conducting a proportional response maneuver corresponding to the flight of a North Korean military aircraft”.
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Reporting by Josh Smith and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Lisa Shumaker
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