South Korea scrambles fighter jets after detecting 180 North Korean warplanes, military says
South Korea scrambled around 80 fighter jets after detecting a large number of North Korean warplanes during a four-hour period Friday, the country’s military said in a statement.
The military statement said it had spotted about 180 North Korean military aircraft between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time.
The South Korean deployment included an unspecified number of F-35A stealth fighter jets, the statement said, and about 240 fighter jets participating in ongoing “Vigilant Storm” drills with the United States had also “maintained a readiness posture.”
Tensions have been rising in the region since the joint drills began on Monday, prompting an angry response from Pyongyang, which has accused the allies of provocative action.
A North Korean official warned in a statement Wednesday the US and South Korea would pay the “most horrible price in history” for any military action against Pyongyang.
This is a developing story. More to come.
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