The aircraft entered and exited the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone, or KADIZ, over the East and South seas in sequence for about four hours beginning at around 8:30 a.m.
None of the aircraft violated South Korean airspace.
The aircraft included bombers and fighter jets believed to be participating in an ongoing joint air exercise between China and Russia.
Chinese aircraft reportedly flew north from their territory and entered the KADIZ near Ieodo in the South Sea, while Russian aircraft entered the zone over the East Sea as they flew south.
Some of the aircraft later joined together and conducted maneuvering drills.
The South Korean military detected and tracked the aircraft before they entered the zone and deployed fighter jets to take tactical measures against any potential contingency.
It marked the first joint entry by Chinese and Russian military aircraft into the KADIZ in about six months. Nine aircraft from the two countries entered the zone over the East and South seas during a joint exercise last December.
Since 2019, China and Russia have sent military aircraft into the KADIZ once or twice a year for joint exercises without notifying South Korea in advance.
An air defense identification zone is established to allow a country to identify and respond to foreign military aircraft approaching its airspace. Unlike sovereign airspace, however, it does not confer territorial rights.
Military aircraft entering another country’s air defense identification zone are generally expected to submit flight plans in advance and report their location upon entry.
Russia does not recognize South Korea’s authority over the KADIZ, arguing that the zone has no basis in international law.
The airspace near Ieodo is also covered by overlapping air defense identification zones established by South Korea and China.
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