South Korean police announced on the 21st that two Chinese nationals have been detained on suspicion of illegally using a drone to film the Jeju naval base.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on the 21st, South Korean police detained a Chinese man and woman, both in their 30s, on suspicion of violating the “Military Base and Military Facilities Protection Act,” and are currently investigating the matter.
The two are suspected of having used a drone near Gangjeong Naval Base in Seogwipo, Jeju Province, at around 5:00 p.m. on the 19th of this month to illegally film the military base. They were discovered by the personnel on duty at the facility.
The police rushed to the scene after receiving a report and apprehended the two individuals. Reportedly, the two claimed at the time that “they were unaware their actions were illegal.” The police stated that they will analyze the incident based on the two individuals’ mobile phones and the drone’s storage card before deciding whether to formally arrest them.
The National Intelligence Service of South Korea stated at the end of April that, since June of last year until now, there have been a total of 11 cases in which Chinese nationals have illegally filmed sensitive facilities in South Korea.
The NIS stated that the targets of these shootings are mainly South Korean military bases, airport and port facilities, the NIS office building, and other military and critical national facilities. Most of those filming are tourists or international students, and also include some high school students and other minors.