Nearly 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered South Korea's air defense identification zone on June 27 before leaving, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Chinese and Russian aircraft successively entered the KADIZ above the country's eastern and southern waters earlier in the day before retreating. The aircraft, which reportedly included bombers and fighter jets, did not violate South Korea's airspace.
The South Korean military detected the aircraft before they entered the air defense zone and dispatched Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any possible contingencies. The air defense zone is not territorial airspace but is delineated to call on foreign planes to identify themselves so as to prevent accidental clashes.
The brief entry appears to have occurred during joint air drills between the two countries. Beijing's Defense Ministry later said Chinese and Russian forces conducted their 11th joint strategic aerial patrol, which it claimed was conducted to show their resolve to safeguard regional peace and stability.
It marks the latest such incident after nine military planes from China and Russia entered the KADIZ in December last year. Since 2019, the two countries have sent their military planes into the KADIZ once or twice a year during joint exercises, without prior notice.
