South Korea deploys fighter jets to intercept Russian military aircraft

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense called in a senior Russian military representative in Seoul on Thursday to lodge a formal complaint after Russian military aircraft repeatedly entered the country’s air defense identification zone, known as KADIZ.

The ministry reported that several Russian warplanes entered the zone over the East Sea earlier that day, coming as close as 20 kilometers to South Korean airspace. These aircraft reportedly did not respond to multiple radio communications from Seoul.

In reaction, South Korea deployed its fighter jets to monitor and track the Russian aircraft.

This incident marks the eighth such incursion since March 11, raising fresh concerns in Seoul regarding the increasing frequency and nature of Russian air operations near the peninsula.

In a statement, the defense ministry indicated that Colonel Nikolai Marchenko, the defense attaché at the Russian Embassy in Seoul, was summoned to express a formal protest and urge Moscow to take measures to prevent future occurrences. The ministry underscored that these repeated, unannounced flights into KADIZ are unacceptable and could heighten tensions in the region.

Although an air defense identification zone is not recognized as sovereign airspace under international law, it is an area where states typically require foreign aircraft to identify themselves for security and coordination reasons.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that a similar incursion took place just days prior, on Saturday, when several Russian aircraft entered the zone during what seemed to be air drills. Once again, these aircraft did not provide prior notice and did not respond to South Korean communication attempts.

While South Korean officials have not specified the types of Russian aircraft involved, the pattern of repeated, uncoordinated flights has led to increased scrutiny of Moscow’s military activities in Northeast Asia.