Several Chinese and Russian warplanes were spotted flying in South Korea’s defense zone on Wednesday, prompting the country to once again scramble its fighter jets.
Two Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and left the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) off the southern and northeastern coasts at around 5:50 a.m., South Korea’s military said.
They returned hours later from the Sea of Japan with six Russian warplanes, including TU-95 bombers and SU-35 fighter jets, and left after 18 minutes in the zone.
“Our military dispatched air force fighter jets ahead of the Chinese and Russian aircraft’s entry of the KADIZ to implement tactical measures in preparation for a potential contingency,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
South Korea (🇰🇷) scrambled fighter jets after two Chinese (🇨🇳) H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and left the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.
— Aerospace Intelligence (@space_osint) November 30, 2022
The bombers later returned from the Sea of Japan with six Russian (🇷🇺) warplanes, including TU-95 bombers and SU-35 fighter jets. pic.twitter.com/hSGdPuvioF
Japan also scrambled its fighter jets after the Chinese bombers flew from the East China Sea into the Sea of Japan with two Russian drones, its defense ministry said later.
This comes a month after South Korea scrambled about 80 fighter jets, including advanced F-35 fighter jets, after detecting about 180 flights by North Korean warplanes in what appeared to be a defiant show of strength.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korean aircraft were detected in multiple areas north of the “tactical action line” north of the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas.
The threat of a world war has risen dramatically since North Korea declared itself a nuclear power last month, while Russian President Vladimir Putin once again threatened to use nuclear weapons against its enemies.
“As long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth, and imperialism and the anti-North Korean maneuvers of the US and its followers remain, our road to strengthening our nuclear force will never end,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said in September.
Meanwhile, Putin said in the same month that using his country’s whole arsenal against Western countries is not a “bluff,” saying: “In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us.”
As a counter to the nuclear threats, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup agreed earlier last month to seek new measures to demonstrate the alliance’s “determination and capabilities.”
