On Dec. 9, nine Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone, prompting the scramble of South Korean fighter jets, although the aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace and exited the zone after about an hour.
Nine Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday, prompting the South Korean Air Force to deploy fighter jets as a precautionary measure, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The JCS said the aircraft—two from China and seven from Russia—entered the zone sequentially around 10 a.m. local time over waters east and south of the Korean Peninsula. The formation included both bomber and fighter aircraft.
South Korea’s military stressed that the aircraft did not breach national airspace. Instead, they entered the KADIZ, a buffer zone used to require foreign military aircraft to identify themselves and reduce the risk of accidental confrontation. The JCS noted that the aircraft were detected and tracked before entering the zone.
The aircraft remained within the KADIZ intermittently for about an hour before departing, a JCS official said. South Korean fighter jets were scrambled to monitor the situation and maintain readiness in case of escalation.
KADIZ is not considered sovereign airspace under international law but serves as an early-warning and air traffic control zone, particularly in areas with frequent military activity.
Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly conducted joint aerial patrols in the region, typically once or twice a year and often without advance notification. The most recent similar incident occurred in November 2024, when 11 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the zone simultaneously.
The latest flights underscore deepening military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in Northeast Asia, where their patrols frequently overlap with the air defense zones of South Korea and Japan, triggering military responses and diplomatic concerns.
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