Seoul: Nine Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered and exited South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over waters east and south of the country, as reported by South Korea's military on Tuesday. The incursion prompted the South Korean military to deploy Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any potential accidental situations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that the incursion involved two Chinese military planes and seven Russian aircraft. The aircraft successively entered the KADIZ at around 10 a.m. but did not violate South Korea's airspace. The JCS emphasized that they detected the aircraft before they crossed into the air defense zone.

The KADIZ is not considered territorial airspace; instead, it serves as a buffer zone where foreign planes are required to identify themselves to prevent unintended confrontations. The JCS official noted that the aircraft, including bombers and fighter jets, intermittently entered and left the KADIZ over the span of about an hour before fully retreating from the zone.

Since 2019, China and Russia have conducted similar operations, sending their military planes into the KADIZ during joint exercises once or twice a year without prior notification. The last such incident occurred in November last year, involving 11 military planes from both nations entering the KADIZ together.