Seoul, 28 June (H.S.): Nearly 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered South Korea's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Saturday, but did not violate the country's sovereign airspace, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

According to South Korea's state-run Yonhap News Agency, citing the JCS, the Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the ADIZ over the country's eastern and southern maritime regions during the daytime before leaving the area shortly afterward. The aircraft included bombers and fighter jets.

The military said the aircraft were detected before they entered the Air Defense Identification Zone. In response to any potential contingency, the South Korean Air Force immediately deployed fighter jets to the area.

The JCS clarified that none of the foreign aircraft violated South Korea's sovereign airspace. Military officials said the incident was likely linked to a joint aerial military exercise being conducted by China and Russia.

An Air Defense Identification Zone is not part of a country's territorial airspace. Instead, it is an area established to enable the early identification of foreign aircraft and to prevent potential security incidents or miscalculations.

This is not the first such incident involving Chinese and Russian military aircraft. In December last year, nine military aircraft from the two countries entered South Korea's ADIZ, prompting Seoul to lodge a formal protest with Chinese and Russian defence authorities.

According to South Korean officials, China and Russia have been sending military aircraft into the Air Defense Identification Zone once or twice a year without prior notification during their joint military exercises since 2019.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar