Seoul: Seoul on Wednesday lodged a protest with the defense attaches of China and Russia based in Seoul over the brief entry of their military aircraft into South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) the previous day, Yonhap News Agency reported. Lee Kwang-suk, director general of the Defense Ministry's international policy bureau, "sternly" protested their aircraft's entry into South Korea's air defense zone, according to the ministry.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the South Korean Defense Ministry emphasized, "Our military will actively respond to aircraft activities from neighboring countries in the KADIZ in compliance with international law," in a release. On Tuesday, two Chinese military planes and seven Russian aircraft briefly entered and left the KADIZ above waters east and south of the country, prompting the military to dispatch Air Force fighter jets in preparation for a possible accidental situation.
The aircraft did not violate South Korea's airspace, as reported by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Russia has denied recognizing the air defense zone drawn up by South Korea, claiming it was "not grounded" in international law. The airspace above Ieodo, a submerged rock south of Jeju Island, where Chinese aircraft entered the previous day, is a point of dispute between Seoul and Beijing with their overlapping air defense zones.