What happens when more than 10 foreign military aircraft suddenly appear near your borders? South Korea wasn’t taking any chances.
Seoul scrambled fighter jets on Saturday after a group of Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered its Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ).
A buffer area used to monitor approaching aircraft before they reach sovereign airspace.
The South Korean military stressed that the aircraft did not violate the country’s airspace.
But officials said fighter jets were deployed as a precaution to prepare for any possible scenario.
Why The Concern?
An air defence identification zone isn’t the same as national airspace, but it plays a crucial role in early warning and national security.
While international law doesn’t require military aircraft to seek permission before entering such zones.
Advance notification is generally seen as standard military practice.
China, however, described the operation differently.
Beijing’s defence ministry said the joint mission with Russia was a “strategic air patrol” over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and western Pacific.
It demonstrated both countries’ determination to “jointly uphold regional peace and stability.”
Whether viewed as routine military coordination or a show of strategic muscle, one thing is clear.
In today’s Indo-Pacific, even flights that stay outside national borders can quickly put fighter jets in the sky.
