South Korea Protests US-China Jet Standoff During Training Exercise

(MENAFN) South Korea filed a formal protest with US Forces Korea earlier this week after a rare standoff between American and Chinese fighter jets occurred during a training exercise over the Yellow Sea, according to reports.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back raised the issue in a phone call with Gen. Xavier Brunson, the commander of the Combined Forces Command and US Forces Korea, shortly after being briefed on the Wednesday incident, as stated by military sources.

Gen. Jin Young-sung, the chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, also registered a complaint with Gen. Brunson in a separate conversation.

The standoff unfolded when US and Chinese fighter jets briefly confronted each other during a US Air Force drill involving 10 F-16 fighter jets. Reports indicate that the American jets entered an area situated between the air defense identification zones of South Korea and China.

In response, the Chinese military dispatched its own fighter jets to the location, but no direct confrontation took place.

While the US Forces Korea, which operates under the US Indo-Pacific Command, had notified Seoul’s military about the planned exercise, South Korean officials said the details—including the specific purpose of the drills—were not fully communicated.

South Korea, hosting roughly 28,500 US troops under the longstanding mutual defense treaty with Washington, remains one of America’s closest allies in the region.

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