Russian bombers attempt to intrude on South Korea’s air defence zone

Two Russian bombers made a botched attempt to violate South Korea’s air defense safety zone in the East Sea but turned back after a warning from South Korean fighters, an Air Force officer said Tuesday. The Tu-95 strategic bombers tried to enter into the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) over the East Sea on Monday morning, the officer said on condition of anonymity. Foreign airplanes and ships are required to get approval from South Korea’s military before entering the KADIZ, according to South Korea’s (Yonhap) News Agency. “Upon detecting the move, we immediately dispatched two F-15K fighter jets to the area, which sent warnings to interrupt it,” he said, adding the Russian destroyers moved back to their planned route over international waters some 10 minutes later. “It is not unusual for Russian bombers to fly toward the KADIZ. Whenever this happens, we send our fighters for surveillance and to hinder them,” the officer said. It is not known how close the Russian bombers were to the defense zone and what caused the incident. The KADIZ was designated by the commander of the US Pacific Air Force Command in 1951 to prevent air clashes between nations surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Dokdo is included in the KADIZ.