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A Chinese Xian H-6 jet bomber is seen from a Russian Sukhoi fighter in December 2020, when their joint drills entered Korea’s air defense identification zone. (Yonhap)

Chinese and Russian military planes briefly entered the Korean air defense identification zone (KADIZ) in the East Sea on Thursday, spurring South Korea to scramble fighter jets in response.

The planes did not violate South Korea’s territorial airspace.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters that two Chinese and four Russian aircraft entered and departed the KADIZ over the East Sea from 11:53 am to 12:10 pm on Thursday, and no violations of airspace took place.

The Joint Chiefs added that South Korea’s military identified the Chinese and Russian military aircraft before they entered the KADIZ, and scrambled fighter jets to take tactical measures in case of any emergencies.

An air defense identification zone is different from airspace, as its borders are arbitrarily drawn by a country to identify and respond to military aircraft approaching its airspace. It is international practice for military aircraft entering another country’s air defense identification zone to submit a flight plan to that country in advance and notify them of their location.

A similar occurrence took place on June 6, when eight Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ in the areas to the south and east of the peninsula. The South Korean military scrambled air force fighter jets to respond on that occasion as well.

An analysis of the situation showed that the Chinese and Russian aircraft were flying together and conducting joint exercises.

By Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter

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