Chinese, Russian Jets Enter South Korea Air Defence
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- South Korea scrambled Air Force fighter jets as a precaution after detecting more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entering the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) on June 27, 2026.
- The Chinese and Russian aircraft entered and then left the KADIZ over the East Sea and South Sea without violating South Korean airspace, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.
- The KADIZ is a buffer zone for identifying approaching aircraft, not sovereign airspace, and military aircraft are not legally required to notify the relevant country before entering.
- China and Russia did not immediately comment on the June 2026 incursion.
- A December 2025 incursion by nine Chinese and Russian aircraft into KADIZ prompted South Korea's Defence Ministry to lodge protests with Beijing and Moscow, while Japan expressed "serious concern" over national security.
- China and Russia described the December 2025 flights as a joint patrol over the East Sea and western Pacific.
Why it matters: The June 27 incursion is the second joint China-Russia KADIZ entry in roughly six months, establishing a pattern that forces Seoul into repeated scrambles and diplomatic protests while nudging Japan — which lodged its own concern after December — toward tighter coordination with South Korean air defences.
