Military aircraft from China and Russia entered South Korea’s air defence zone without notification on Tuesday, prompting the deployment of fighter jets, the Korean military said.
The nine aircraft appeared to be part of a joint patrol in the area, their first such exercise in more than 12 months. They did not violate Korean airspace, the country’s military command authority said.
According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, seven Russian and two Chinese military aircraft sequentially entered and then departed the Korean Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) over the Sea of Japan, or the East Sea, and the East China Sea.
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“There was no violation of our airspace,” it said in a statement on the Tuesday morning manoeuvres.
“We identified them before they entered the KADIZ and deployed Air Force fighter jets to prepare for any contingencies.”
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The aircraft were identified as bombers and fighter jets, with four Russian and two Chinese aircraft reportedly taking part in joint exercises.