South Korea has deployed military aircraft Wednesday in response to the entry of several Chinese and Russian aircraft into its air defense zone. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that it has dispatched several fighter jets after two Chinese and six Russian fighter jets entered the air defense zone without warning, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.

The military said that although the planes flew over the South Korean air defense zone, they did not violate the country’s territorial air. However, they sent the fighters “in a tactical step against a possible accidental situation”.

South Korea scramble its jets as Chinese and Russian aircraft enter the air defense zone https://t.co/ORJEdFCeT9

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The area overflown by the Chinese and Russian fighter jets is delimited for foreign aircraft to identify themselves in order to avoid accidental clashes.

The entry of foreign aircraft has come as Seoul is pushing to strengthen its alliance with Washington, at a time of increasing rivalry between the United States and China over tensions in the region and with Russia over the war in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Beijing would have thus participated in a joint air exercise, reports the cited agency.

-Thailand News (TN)