S. Korea Nabs Chinese Nationals for Spying on U.S. Carrier
(MENAFN) Two Chinese nationals have been taken into custody by South Korean authorities on suspicion of using a drone to conduct illicit surveillance of strategic military facilities, including a South Korean naval base in Busan and a US Navy aircraft carrier, a local media outlet reported Thursday.
This incident represents the first publicly known arrest of foreign nationals accused of spying on a US military asset within South Korea’s borders, according to the media outlet.
Investigators allege the two men—aged in their 30s and 40s—operated a drone in the vicinity of the Korean Fleet Command over a 15-month period from March 2023 to June 2024. The unmanned aircraft reportedly captured 172 images and 22 video clips, amounting to 11.9 gigabytes of data. The materials are said to include footage of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a US aircraft carrier currently deployed in the region.
The older suspect faces multiple charges, including breaching the military base protection law and benefiting the enemy by other means. In addition, a third individual—a Chinese woman in her 30s—has been booked but not detained. One of the two arrested men has also been formally charged under South Korea’s military base law.
Authorities are investigating whether the gathered footage has already been sent to the drone’s Chinese manufacturer and potentially distributed via TikTok or other China-based social media networks.
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