An A-50 early warning aircraft, three SU-27 fighter jets and two TU-95 bombers entered the KADIZ four times between 9:23 a.m. and 2:44 p.m. without warning and remained in the area for approximately four hours in total before leaving around 3:13 pm, according to the JCS.
The fighter jets penetrated the KADIZ over the waters surrounding the Korean peninsula, including the easternmost islets of the country of Dokdo and the island of Ulleung in the East Sea;over the southern city of Pohang and Jeju Island and areas in the Yellow Sea.
But none of the planes violated the territorial airspace of South Korea, the JCS said.
Upon detecting the first plane entering the KADIZ on Ulleung Island, the South Korean Air Force deployed about 10 fighters, including the F-15K and KF-16 aircraft, which “had taken appropriate measures” to track the plane and send warning messages to force them out, according to the JCS.
The last violation led to the total number of Russian aircraft tickets in KADIZ so far this year to 20.
After the incident, the Ministry of Defense filed a strong complaint with Russia and urged the country to take measures to prevent recurrences, according to ministry officials.
The issue is also expected to be a priority on the agenda during a meeting of their joint military committee that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Seoul, they added.
On July 23, a Russian A-50 early warning plane entered twice in South Korean air territory, over the islets of Dokdo, the easternmost in the country, in the East Sea, causing the Air Force to conduct hundreds of warning shots.
The intrusion took place shortly after two other Russian planes and many other Chinese violated the KADIZ, between Dokdo and the eastern island of Ulleung, on several occasions, in an unusual joint air maneuver between the two countries.
In order to prevent such events, South Korea and Russia have been trying to create a direct military line between their air forces, in order to exchange information about their flights, according to the JCS.
The two sides began discussing the issue in 2014 and in November 2018 the consultations on the draft of the planned memorandum of understanding (MOU) ended.
The air defense zone was established, for the first time in 1951, by the United States Air Force, during the 1950-53 Korean War, to prevent air clashes between the countries surrounding the Korean peninsula.
Seoul expanded its area, last year, to counter China’s unilateral decision to expand its own area to cover a reef and other islands off its southern coast.
Air Defense Identification Zones – or ADIZ – are not part of a country’s airspace and are not subject to international laws.
Source: Yna
