SEOUL, December 10 (AJP) - The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday lodged a strong protest with China and Russia after their military aircraft buzzed South Korea's air defense identification zone (KADIZ) the previous day.
The ministry said it protested through a phone call to the defense attachés of China and Russia and vowed, "We will actively respond to any flybys in KADIZ in line with international law."
The protest comes just a day after two Chinese and seven Russian aircraft entered the KADIZ at around 10 a.m. the previous day and left about an hour later. They were bombers and fighter jets involved in the two big powers' regular military maneuvers in the region.
The air defense identification zone does not constitute territorial airspace but is established in order to identify air traffic. It is common protocol for aircraft to obtain prior permission before entering another country's air defense identification zone.
But Russia does not recognize South Korea's KADIZ, citing a lack of international legal basis. The KADIZ over the submerged shelf of Ieodo overlaps with the airspaces of both South Korea and China.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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