South Korea scrambled fighter jets on Saturday after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the country’s air defence identification zone (KADIZ), with the military saying the move was a precautionary measure to prepare for any potential contingency.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chinese and Russian aircraft entered the KADIZ over the East Sea and the South Sea before later leaving the area. The military stressed that while the aircraft entered the air defence identification zone, they did not violate South Korean sovereign airspace.
“South Korea’s military detected the Chinese and Russian aircraft before they entered the zone and deployed Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any contingency,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
An air defence identification zone is not recognised as sovereign airspace but serves as a buffer area where countries identify and monitor approaching aircraft for security purposes. Although military aircraft are generally expected to notify the relevant country before entering such zones, there is no legal requirement to do so.
China and Russia did not immediately comment on the incident.
