March 31, 2014 at 8:40 pm
(Yonhap) — South Korea shot down a North Korean fighter jet Sunday after the warplane strayed into its airspace, Defense Minister Kim Tae Young said.
“Our KF-16s went up in the air and shot that plane down. Why? Because if you violate my airspace, then from now on, our slap will be hard,” Kim told reporters at a press conference.
State-run media in North Korea called the shoot-down an act of “blatant aggression” and said the downed plane was over northern North Korea at the time.
The pilot ejected and was rescued, KCNA reported, citing a military source.
The South Korean armed forces website reported that two North Korean planes were spotted and were warned four times about approaching South Korean airspace as they flew north in North Korean airspace.
One plane left the area but the second plane continued, and entered South Korean airspace by approximately 1 kilometer (six-tenths of a mile). The plane turned west and continued to fly into South Korean airspace, according to the site.
One of the two South Korean F-16s patrolling the area launched a missile at the North Korean plane and it crashed in the area of the town of Ongjin, in North Korean territory near the border, South Korean armed forces said.
South Korea confiscated a North Korean vessel last month, and the two sides have exchanged artillery fire in the past.
In October 2012, South Korea fired on North Korean government targets in response to the shelling of a South Korean border town in which five civilians were killed.
Original source
http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/politics/2014/03/31/0505000000AKR20140331175252043.HTML?template=2085