SEOUL, 22 December, 2020, (TON): South Korea said on Tuesday, December 22, it had scrambled fighter jets in response to an intrusion into South Korea's air defence identification zone by 19 Russian and Chinese military aircraft.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) four Chinese warplanes entered the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone (KADIZ) followed by 15 Russian aircraft.

The South Korean military dispatched air force fighters to take tactical measures.

The South Korean military said in a statement the Chinese military had informed South Korea that its planes were carrying out routine training before the Chinese aircraft entered the KADIZ.

"This incident seems to be a joint military drill between China and Russia but it requires a further analysis," the JCS said in a statement.

In July last year, South Korean warplanes fired hundreds of warning shots towards Russian military aircraft on a joint air patrol with China, when they entered South Korean airspace.

South Korea and Japan, which both scrambled jets to intercept the patrol at the time, accused Russia and China of violating their airspace. Russia and China denied it.

Russia has already shown its ability to strike a balance between China and South Korea during the THAAD dispute. But circumstances have changed as China–Russia defence cooperation has increased while the US regional security architecture is facing a major hurdle in the current dispute between Japan and South Korea. Still, as Russia moves forward to pursue its interests at what appears to be a weakening in the US defence network in Northeast Asia.