South Korea scrambles jets as Russian military aircraft enter KADIZ
It is the second such incident in weeks; Seoul says the Russian aircraft did not enter its sovereign airspace.
South Korea scrambled fighter jets after several Russian military aircraft entered and then left South Korea's air defense identification zone, or KADIZ, over the East Sea/Japan Sea on Wednesday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the Russian aircraft were detected before entering the zone, including near Dokdo/Takeshima and Ulleung Island, and the Air Force was put on alert to prepare for any possibility. Seoul stressed the aircraft did not violate South Korean airspace. KADIZ is not sovereign territory but a buffer area where foreign aircraft are asked to identify themselves. The incident was the second in a few weeks, after more than 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ in late June and prompted protests from Seoul to Beijing and Moscow.