Seoul scrambles fighters as North Korean planes fly close to border

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends the opening ceremony of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm to mark the anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, in North Korea, in this undated photo released on October 11, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea scrambled fighter jets after a group of about 10 North Korean military aircraft flew close to the border dividing the two countries, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, amid heightened tensions over repeated North Korean missiles tests.

The statement said the North Korean aircraft were detected flying about 25 km (15 miles) north of the Military Demarcation Line in the central region of the Korea border area and about 12 km (7 miles) north of the Northern Limit Line, a de facto inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea. The incident happened between 10:30 p.m. Thursday (1330 GMT) and 0:20 a.m. (1530 GMT) local time Friday.