The military scrambled fighter jets on Friday when five Chinese and six Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s Air Defence Identification Zone, KADIZ, which reaches further beyond the country’s airspace. The planes crossed the zone between 9:35 AM and 1:53 PM, but did not breach South Korean airspace.
No Violation of South Korean Airspace
The South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff assured that the aircraft, which crossed through the East Sea and then the South Sea, have not entered the South Korean side. “The aircraft had been identified prior to KADIZ, and fighter jets stood by to anticipate any circumstance,” the JCS said.
Joint Strategic Patrol by China and Russia
China’s Ministry of Defence said these flights were part of their ninth “joint strategic patrol” over the Sea of Japan, that is referred to as East Sea in South Korea. Chinese and Russian militaries executed the flights as per the annual cooperation plan. Sources in South Korean military claimed that Chinese aircraft flew past the disputed Dokdo islets off South Korea’s eastern coast before heading back south. Russian aircraft also flew south towards the same islets.
South Korea Regrets Unnotified Flights
South Korea’s defense ministry issued warnings to both China and Russia that the extended flights over KADIZ without notice are “unnecessary” and may lead to increased tension in the region. It urged for preventive measures so that such incidents will not happen again, which will heighten instability in the region.
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