Seoul, February 20 (QNA) – Military sources in South Korea said that US and Chinese fighter jets were involved in a brief aerial standoff over the Yellow Sea earlier this week, after a rare US Air Force exercise prompted Beijing to scramble its own aircraft in response.
According to the sources, cited by Yonhap News Agency, several US F-16 fighter jets assigned to US Forces Korea (USFK) took off late Wednesday from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, and flew over international waters in the Yellow Sea.
The aircraft reportedly operated in an area between the respective air defense identification zones (ADIZ) of South Korea and China, prompting the Chinese military to dispatch fighter jets to the scene. No confrontation or clash was reported.
The USFK had notified the South Korean military in advance of the exercise, but did not provide detailed information, including the purpose of the drills, according to a source.
Both South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense and USFK declined to provide further details regarding the incident.
The ministry stated that it could not verify military operations involving USFK assets, while noting that the United States and South Korea maintain a strong combined defense posture. (QNA)