South Korea punishes 10 people over unapproved military flight to Okinawa

Military personnel in camouflage uniforms line up on an airport tarmac next to a large green military transport aircraft with its rear cargo ramp lowered.

U.S. and South Korean troops enter a South Korean air force C-130 Hercules during a large-scale military exercise at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2025. (Josephine Pepin/U.S. Air Force)

Ten South Korean military personnel are being disciplined for their roles in an unapproved C-130 Hercules flight over Japanese airspace that promoted Tokyo to scramble fighter jets this summer, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

They will receive a formal reprimand and an unspecified punishment for their involvement in the July 13 flight, the ministry said in a text message to reporters on Sunday.

The South Korean C-130, en route to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, entered Japanese airspace after running low on fuel and being rerouted to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa because of stormy weather, Japanese and South Korean defense officials said at the time.

The aircraft diverted to Kadena without Japanese clearance, prompting the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets, according to Japan’s Joint Staff.

The scramble was “regrettable,” and South Korea’s military was asked “to take measures to prevent further instances,” a Joint Staff spokesman said July 25.

The plane refueled at Kadena before continuing to Guam, South Korean officials said.

The flight was part of Resolute Force Pacific, a large-scale U.S. Air Force exercise in the region from July 10 to Aug. 8, a South Korean defense ministry spokesman said by phone Tuesday. The training — the Air Force’s largest in the region — included more than 350 aircraft and 12,000 troops.

The spokesman declined to provide further details about the incident, including the roles of the reprimanded personnel. South Korean and Japanese government officials typically speak to the press on condition of anonymity.

Japanese and South Korean military aircraft routinely conduct air drills to address threats from North Korea. On July 11, two Japanese F-2s and two South Korea KF-16s escorted two U.S. B-52H Stratofortress bombers near the Korean Peninsula, marking the third trilateral flight this year.