Chinese, Russian warplanes enter South Korea’s air defense zone without notice: Report

Two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice on Wednesday, prompting the Air Force to scramble fighters to the scene, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, according to the Yonhap news agency report.

The JCS said the warplanes flew across the KADIZ but did not violate South Korea’s territorial air.

At 5.48 am, two Chinese H-6 bombers flew into the KADIZ from an area 126 kilometers northwest of Leo Islet, a submerged rock south of the southern island of Jeju, and they left the KADIZ at 6.13 am. At 6.44 am., the bombers reentered the KADIZ from an area northeast of South Korea’s southern port city of Pohang and exited the zone at 7.07 am.

Then six Russian aircraft — four TU-95 bombers and two SU-35 fighters — as well as two Chinese H-6 bombers flew into the KADIZ from an area 200 km northeast of the South’s Ulleung Island at 12.18 pm and exited the zone at 12.36 pm.

South Korean military aircraft, including F-15K jets, were deployed in a tactical step against a potential accidental situation, according to the JCS, the Yonhap news agency reported.