South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back lodged a complaint immediately with the US Forces Korea commander after receiving a report of the standoff last week. The incident involved around 10 US F-16 fighters taking off from Osan Air Base and flying west over the Yellow Sea toward China's air defence identification zone, prompting Beijing to scramble its own jets in a brief face-off. South Korean media highlight this as underscoring Seoul's growing difficulty in balancing ties with security ally the US and top trading partner China.
Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed military sources, reported on Saturday that South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back lodged a complaint with General Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), immediately after receiving a report of the stand-off last week. The incident took place on Wednesday and involved around 10 US F-16 fighters that took off from Osan Air Base, about 65km (40 miles) south of Seoul, and flew west over the Yellow Sea as part of a training operation. As the F-16s approached China’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Beijing scrambled its own fighter jets in what South Korean media described as a “brief” face-off.
The report said USFK had notified South Korea of its plan ahead of the exercise but had not offered details about the drills. The stand-off came amid an apparent shift in the focus of US troops stationed in South Korea, pivoting away from North Korea to counter China. Washington is also pushing its allies to take on a greater military role while increasing the flexibility of US forces.
Analysts note that the incident highlights the growing difficulty for South Korea in balancing ties with its security ally the US and its top trading partner China. Osan Air Base, located in Gyeonggi Province, is a key US military facility in Korea.
