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A Russian Sukhoi jet escorts a Chinese H-6 bomber during joint drills that entered the KADIZ in December 2020. (Yonhap)

On Tuesday, eight Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) to the south and east of the Korean Peninsula, prompting the South Korean military to scramble fighter jets. The Chinese and Russian aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace, however.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff informed reporters that from 11:52 am to 1:49 pm on Tuesday, four Chinese military aircraft and four Russian military aircraft entered the southern and eastern parts of the KADIZ before exiting. The Joint Chiefs added that they “did not violate South Korean airspace.”

\"Our military had identified the Chinese and Russian aircraft prior to their entry into the KADIZ and preemptively dispatched Air Force fighters to take tactical measures in case of potential unexpected situations,” the Joint Chiefs added.

Air defense identification zones, which are distinct from airspace, are arbitrarily defined boundaries established for the early identification of military aircraft approaching a country’s airspace. It is generally accepted international practice for military aircraft intending to enter another country’s air defense identification zone to provide a flight plan ahead of time and report their position upon entry.

The Chinese and Russian military aircraft, which were seen flying in tandem, were believed to have carried out a joint exercise. This was confirmed by China’s Ministry of National Defense via its official WeChat (a Chinese messaging and social media app) channel that \"the two countries’ militaries staged their sixth joint strategic aerial patrol over the East Sea and the East China Sea in accordance with the annual military cooperation plan between China and Russia on June 6.\"

Last year on Nov. 30, eight Chinese and Russian military aircraft also entered the southern and eastern portions of the KADIZ, triggering South Korea to scramble fighter jets. That incursion into the KADIZ was also believed to be a joint drill between the two countries’ militaries.

This latest entry of Chinese and Russian military aircraft into the KADIZ has added to the growing tension in East Asia as China intensifies its military initiatives in the Asia-Pacific. On Saturday, a Chinese naval vessel came within 137 meters (150 yards) of a US destroyer that was sailing through the Taiwan Strait alongside a Canadian frigate. The US military decried China’s actions as having “violated the maritime ‘Rules of the Road’ of safe passage in international waters.”

The contention between China and Russia on one side and South Korea, the US, and Japan on the other is also growing due to differing responses to North Korea\'s recent failed satellite launch.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting on North Korea at its headquarters in New York but failed to reach a consensus on an official response, such as a statement of condemnation or the adoption of additional sanctions, as China and Russia expressed differing views from other member states, including the US.

By Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]