The Busan District Prosecutors' Office in South Korea has indicted two Chinese nationals, accusing them of illegally operating drones to film South Korean naval bases as well as a US aircraft carrier docked at Busan Port.
According to a Yonhap News report on the 25th, prosecutors have recently charged a man in his 40s with violating Article 99 of the Criminal Code (“General Acts Benefiting the Enemy”), while another man in his 30s has been charged with violating the Military Bases and Installations Protection Act. Both men have been arrested and will stand trial in detention.
The two men are accused of filming the US aircraft carrier “Theodore Roosevelt,” which was docked in Busan for joint South Korea-US military exercises, a total of nine times without authorization between March 2023 and June 2024. They took a total of 172 photos and 22 videos, some of which were uploaded without permission to social media platforms such as Tiktok.
A Chinese Woman Under Investigation
It is reported that a Chinese woman in her 30s is suspected of assisting the two men in filming. She has been referred to prosecutors on charges of violating the Military Bases and Installations Protection Act and is undergoing further investigation.
According to Article 99, Chapter 2 (“Crimes of Treason”), of the Korean Criminal Code, the “general act benefiting the enemy” applies to those endangering South Korea’s military interests or providing military interests to enemy countries. Offenders may face life imprisonment or imprisonment for more than three years.