Seoul, June 27: South Korea’s military announced on Saturday that approximately ten Chinese and Russian military aircraft briefly entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) over the eastern and southern maritime areas of the country before exiting.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the Chinese and Russian military planes returned after sequentially entering the air defense zone.
These aircraft included bombers and fighter jets; however, they did not violate South Korea’s airspace. The South Korean military identified the planes before their entry into KADIZ and deployed fighter jets to address any potential situation.
It is noted that the air defense zone is not a sovereign airspace but an area where foreign aircraft are expected to identify themselves to prevent any unforeseen collisions.
A JCS official indicated that this incident likely occurred during ongoing joint air exercises between the two countries.
This marks another incident following the event on December 9, 2025, when nine military aircraft from China and Russia entered KADIZ, prompting Seoul to file a formal protest with defense representatives from both nations.
At that time, two Chinese military planes and seven Russian aircraft briefly entered the eastern and southern maritime areas of South Korea before exiting. Following that incident, the South Korean military promptly deployed its fighter jets to handle any unexpected situations.
Since 2019, both countries have sent military aircraft into KADIZ one or two times a year during joint exercises without prior notice.
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