Seoul says Russian, Chinese warplanes enter air buffer zone
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it scrambled fighter jets to respond to a group of Russian and Chinese warplanes that entered its air buffer zone unannounced. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft in the country’s air defense identification zone off its eastern coast on Friday. It said it had already sent fighter jets and other aircraft to the area to prevent accidental clashes, but the Russian and Chinese planes left without breaching South Korea’s territorial airspace. China later told South Korea through a military communication channel that the flights were part of routine exercises with Russia. Both countries have increasingly flexed their muscle amid an intensifying competition with the United States.