South Korean fighter jets fire warning shots at Russian military aircraft

South Korean fighter jets on Tuesday fired warning shots at a Russian military aircraft after it allegedly violated the country's airspace.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a statement, said that the Russian plane violated their country's airspace twice near the eastern coast, according to CNN.

The alleged violations took place -- first at 9:09 am (local time) and then at 9:33 am -- over an island which is claimed both by South Korea and Japan.

South Korea scrambled its F-15F and KF-16 fighter jets and fired warning shots using 20 mm weapon both times.

Quoting Seoul, CNN reported that this is the first time a foreign country has violated South Korean airspace.

South Korean defence officials said that two Chinese aircraft also entered South Korea's Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday.

While an airspace is 12 nautical miles from a country's borders which falls under its control, an ADIZ is the area wherein the controlling country can demand identification, location and control of aircraft's direction. The country does not necessarily have rights to engage, according to CNN.

As per the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the two Chinese aircraft entered the KADIZ first at 6:44 am (local time) and then 7:49 am. The aircraft then met up with the two Russian aircraft, following which the four planes entered KADIZ together at 8:40 am and remained there for 24 minutes.

The American news outlet termed the incident unusual as South Korea and Russia have rarely come into conflict. The only issue between the two nations is the island of Noktundo over which both Russia and South Korea have territorial claims.