On December 9, the South Korean military said that nine Chinese and Russian military aircraft had flew into the air defense identification area (KIZAD) over the eastern and southern seas of South Korea for a short time.
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), two Chinese military aircraft and seven Russian aircraft entered KADIZ at around 10am (local time), forcing the South Korean military to use fighter jets to respond to prevent unexpected situations.
The JCS stressed that the aircraft did not affect South Korea's airspace, saying radar detected them before they entered the air defense identification area.
KADIZ is not a national airspace, but a region established to require foreign aircraft to identify it to avoid unwanted collisions.
According to a JCS official, the group of aircraft, including mechanical guards and fighters, repeatedly entered and exited KADIZ for about an hour before completely leaving the area. Since 2019, China and Russia have usually brought military aircraft to KADIZ 1 to 2 times a year when holding joint exercises, without prior notice. In the most recent time in November last year, 11 military aircraft of the two countries entered KADIZ together.
Russia and China have not yet commented on the incident.
