Busan: Two Chinese nationals have been apprehended for the unauthorized filming of a visiting U.S. aircraft carrier and a South Korean naval base in Busan, as reported by local law enforcement on Thursday. The individuals, both exchange students at a university in Busan and aged in their 30s and 40s, are accused of deploying a drone to capture footage of the Korean Fleet Command and the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt from March 2023 to June 2024.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency has charged the older suspect with benefiting an enemy by other methods and breaching the military base law. The younger suspect faces charges of violating the military base law, while a Chinese woman in her 30s has been booked without detention on similar charges.
The Busan District Court issued arrest warrants for the two men on Wednesday, citing concerns over potential evidence destruction and the risk of flight. Police officials noted that this marks the first instance of a foreigner being arrested under these specific charges, emphasizing the suspects' actions as detrimental to military interests.
The suspects were initially detected by soldiers on patrol near the Busan naval command on June 25 of the previous year. They were allegedly filming the Theodore Roosevelt during its visit for a Korea-U.S.-Japan joint military exercise, which coincided with a visit from then-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Over the past year, the police have conducted an intensive investigation, imposing an exit ban on the suspects. Authorities confirmed that the accused carried out illegal filming on nine occasions using a drone and mobile phones, amassing 11.9 GB of content, including 172 photos and 22 videos.
Police revealed that some of the footage was shared on TikTok and other Chinese social media platforms, with suspicions that the content may have also been transmitted to the Chinese manufacturer of the drone used by the suspects.