The South Korean military has sped up its planes after two Chinese and six Russian fighter jets entered its air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without warning early Wednesday morning.
Two Chinese H-6 bombers first crossed the air defense zone shortly before 5:50 a.m. and proceeded to repeatedly overfly the KADIZ borders off the south and northeast coasts of South Korea, the chief of staff said. Joint, according to the Seoul-based media outlet Yonhap.
After leaving South Korea’s KADIZ around 7 a.m., the two Chinese bombers returned about five hours later with Russian fighter jets, including 4 TU-95 bombers and 2 SU-35 fighters, and flew over the area of Seoul air defense identification across the Sea of Japan around 12:00. :20 p.m.
A Russian TU-95 bomber and Chinese H-6 bombers fly over the East China Sea on Tuesday, May 24.
(Japan Defense Ministry Joint Chiefs of Staff Office/Handout/Reuters)
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The planes reportedly departed from South Korea’s KADIZ less than 20 minutes later.
South Korea responded to the attack by deploying an unknown number of aircraft, including F-15K jets, in a precautionary move, authorities said.
“Our military dispatched air force fighter jets ahead of the Chinese and Russian aircraft’s entry into KADIZ to implement tactical measures in preparation for a possible contingency,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement according to a Reuters report. .
The South Korean military said that despite crossing its defense identification zone, the foreign plane did not violate Seoul’s territorial airspace.
An air defense identification zone is not considered part of a nation’s airspace, which is any airspace over its territory or its territorial waters, but instead acts as a buffer zone where countries require foreign aircraft to identify themselves for avoid accidental incidents.
FILE – In this photo provided by the South Korean Ministry of Defense, South Korean Air Force F15K fighter jets and US Air Force F-16 fighter jets fly in formation during a joint drill at an undisclosed location in South Korea, on October 4, 2022.
(South Korean Defense Ministry via AP, File)
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There are no international rules governing air defense zones and Russia does not recognize South Korea’s KADIZ.
China has yet to comment publicly on Wednesday’s incident. However, according to a Reuters report, Beijing argued that the airspace is not territorial and therefore open for use by any nation, a stance that echoed comments made by the US naval forces. .
The United States and South Korea have increased joint military exercises in coordination with regional partners such as Japan and the Philippines in the wake of increasingly aggressive force postures from North Korea, China and Russia.
In this photo provided by the South Korean Ministry of Defense, two US Air Force B-1B bombers, top center, South Korean Air Force F-35 fighter jets and planes US Air Force F-16 fighter jets, bottom left, fly over the South Korean peninsula during a joint airborne drill in South Korea, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.
(South Korean Defense Ministry via AP)
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Beijing and Moscow have strengthened relations since Russia invaded Ukraine nine months ago, and Moscow has increasingly sought to strengthen ties with North Korea.
The United States and its regional and Western allies have warned the three nations not to upset the status quo in the South China Sea.
