A Russian A-50 military aircraft flies near the disputed islands called Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, in this handout picture taken by Japan Air Self-Defence Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan July 23, 2019. Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan/HANDOUT via REUTERS
July 24, 2019
SEOUL (Reuters) – Russia told South Korea that an equipment malfunction led its military aircraft into an unintended area on Tuesday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean presidential office.
A Russian military officer told a South Korean defense official on Tuesday that the Russian military aircraft, which South Korea fired warning shots at for entering South Korean airspace, appeared to have “entered an area that was not planned due to device malfunction”, Yoon Do-han, a senior official in the South Korean presidential office, said.
Russia’s defense ministry would immediately launch an investigation and take all necessary steps, the Russian officer told South Korea, Yoon said, according to Yonhap.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Robeert Birsel)
