S. Korea expresses 'stern' protest to China, Russia over air defense zone incursion

SEOUL, June 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry lodged a "stern" protest with China and Russia on Wednesday over their warplanes' entry into the country's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without notice the previous day, it said.

On Tuesday, four Chinese and four Russian military aircraft entered the KADIZ and exited it, prompting the South Korean Air Force to scramble fighter jets to the scene. They did not violate South Korea's air space.

Lee Seung-beom, director general for international policy at the ministry, expressed regret over the KADIZ entry to military attaches at the Chinese and Russian Embassies in Seoul, respectively, in separate phone calls.

"The defense ministry expressed regrets to the two countries over the flight to the sensitive areas close to our air space," the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry also called on them to take appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence, noting that such a flight could cause regional tensions.

The air defense zone is not territorial airspace but is delineated to call on foreign planes to identify themselves so as to prevent accidental clashes.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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