South Korea deployed fighter jets yesterday after seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft entered the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ), the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The foreign aircraft entered the zone at around 10am, remaining for about an hour before exiting. Officials confirmed that no South Korean airspace was violated, but said jets were launched “to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies”.
South Korea detected the aircraft before they crossed into the KADIZ — a buffer zone used for early-warning and security monitoring, but not part of sovereign airspace.
China later confirmed the activity, saying it conducted its 10th joint strategic air patrol with Russia under annual military cooperation plans. The drills took place over the East China Sea and western Pacific.
Russia said the exercise lasted eight hours, noting that foreign fighter jets shadowed their aircraft along parts of the route.
Military flights by China and Russia into the KADIZ have grown increasingly frequent since 2019. South Korea scrambled jets during similar incursions in June and December 2023, and May and November 2022.
China and Russia have strengthened military ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and both maintain close relations with North Korea, South Korea’s primary security rival.
