Moscow hands protest note to Seoul’s attaché over dangerous actions by S. Korean combat planes

The South Korean military attaché in Moscow was handed a protest note on Tuesday, after “illegal and dangerous actions by the pilots of S. Korean fighter jets,” Russian long-range aviation commander Lt. Gen. Sergey Kolybash said on Tuesday.

Russian planes had strictly followed a pre-set flight routine, he said. “The Russian aircraft didn't violate the airspace of South Korea and Japan… Therefore, the actions by the South Korean pilots should be regarded as air hooliganism,” Sputnik quoted the general as saying.

The military in Seoul said earlier in the day that Russian  aircraft had illegally crossed into South Korean airspace twice over the Sea of Japan, and that F-16 fighters had fired warning shots in response.

The Russian defense ministry said that the South Korean fighters had performed non-professional maneuvers. The ministry also accused South Korea of repeatedly trying to impede Russia’s flights over the Sea of Japan’s/East Sea’s neutral waters, referring to an “air defense identification zone” unilaterally imposed by Seoul that is neither incorporated into international regulations nor recognized by Russia.