An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 35th Fighter Squadron takes off during a flying surge at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Jan. 28, 2026. (Tallon Bratton/US. Air Force)
South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense has lodged a complaint with U.S. Forces Korea over a brief standoff between American and Chinese fighter jets, according to local media.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back contacted the USFK commander, Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, after learning of Wednesday’s incident, the Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday. Gen. Jin Yong-sung, chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, also raised concerns with Brunson, said the report, which cited unnamed military sources.
According to Yonhap, about 10 U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons were training over the Yellow Sea when they entered an area between the air defense identification zones of South Korea and China.
Beijing dispatched its own fighter aircraft in response, resulting in what Yonhap described as a “rare standoff,” though no clash occurred.
South Korea’s military had been notified in advance of the U.S. exercise but was not provided details, the report said.
USFK spokesman David Kim would not comment on the report Monday in a text message to Stars and Stripes. A duty spokesman at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command also declined to comment by phone on Sunday in Hawaii. The Pentagon could not be reached after hours by phone or email.
Maj. Kippun Sumner, spokesman for the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, said by email Monday that the wing is “currently not discussing this matter.”
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Chung Binna told reporters Monday in Seoul that Ahn “had a phone call” on Wednesday. “However, it is inappropriate to confirm the conversation since the other side was involved,” she said. “As far as I know, there was no communication with China.”
China’s state-run Global Times reported Friday that the Chinese military “responded very quickly” to the incident, which demonstrates that the [army] ‘stands ready at all times’ and the combat readiness string is pulled even tighter during holidays.”
The incident occurred on the second day of the Chinese New Year, according to the outlet.
China for several years “has treated its near seas as a continuous arc of crisis and strategic friction with nearly all of its neighbors,” Benjamin Blandin, a research fellow with the Yokosuka Council on Asia Pacific Studies, said by email Monday.
“For a long time, incidents at sea dominated regional tensions,” he wrote. “More recently, however, we have seen a marked increase in naval-to-air and air-to-air encounters. The latest episode over the Yellow Sea reflects that evolution.”
Stars and Stripes reporters Alejandro Carrasquel, Yoojin Lee and Alex Wilson contributed to this report.
