APSouth Korea scrambled fighters on Friday as Russian and Chinese warplanes on a joint exercise briefly entered its air defence identification zone, military chiefs in Seoul said.
However, "there was no invasion of airspace", the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
"Our military received a reply from the Chinese side that it was... normal training through the South Korea-China direct communication network."
The JCS said it had evaluated the situation to be a Russia-China joint exercise, and that the aircraft flew inside the zone for around 10 minutes.
South Korea dispatched F-15 and F-16 fighters along with an aerial refuelling tanker as a "normal tactical measure" as the Russian and Chinese planes approached the zone, the JCS added.
The incursion happened northeast of Dokdo -- islets that are also claimed by Japan, which calls them Takeshima.
Air defence identification zones are outside a country or territory's airspace, in which foreign aircraft are monitored for security reasons.
However, they are self-declared and technically international airspace.
In 2019, South Korean fighter jets fired more than 400 warning shots and Japan complained to Moscow after a Russian military plane violated airspace near the disputed islets.
Russia said at the time that it did not recognise such zones.
However, "there was no invasion of airspace", the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
"Our military received a reply from the Chinese side that it was... normal training through the South Korea-China direct communication network."
The JCS said it had evaluated the situation to be a Russia-China joint exercise, and that the aircraft flew inside the zone for around 10 minutes.
South Korea dispatched F-15 and F-16 fighters along with an aerial refuelling tanker as a "normal tactical measure" as the Russian and Chinese planes approached the zone, the JCS added.
The incursion happened northeast of Dokdo -- islets that are also claimed by Japan, which calls them Takeshima.
Air defence identification zones are outside a country or territory's airspace, in which foreign aircraft are monitored for security reasons.
However, they are self-declared and technically international airspace.
In 2019, South Korean fighter jets fired more than 400 warning shots and Japan complained to Moscow after a Russian military plane violated airspace near the disputed islets.
Russia said at the time that it did not recognise such zones.
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