South Korea Scrambles Fighter Jets as Russian, Chinese Warplanes Breach Air Defense Zone

On Wednesday morning, South Korea's military ordered the pilots of F-15 fighter jets to immediately take off after two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered its air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without warning.

For Context: Two Chinese F-6 bombers entered KADIZ for about an hour, before leaving and returning about five hours later with the Russian TU-95 bombers and SU-35 fighters. To prevent accidental incidents, an air defense identification zone acts as a buffer zone where countries require foreign aircraft to identify themselves. KADIZ is not considered to be part of South Korea's airspace, and the aircraft did not violate Seoul's territorial airspace. The incident comes just weeks after China expressed anger over the continuation of military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea. 

Key Quotes: "Our military dispatched air force fighter jets ahead of the Chinese and Russian aircraft's entry of the KADIZ to implement tactical measures in preparation for a potential contingency," the South Korean Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement.

How the Media Covered it: The incident was covered by media across the political spectrum, with all sources noting that the Chinese and Russian aircraft, while crossing KADIZ, did not violate South Korea's airspace.