Investigators uncovered nine separate recordings of the Busan naval base, raising questions about surveillance gaps and possible intent. The court handed suspended prison terms while stressing national security risks without confirming that footage reached hostile actors.
In South Korea, two Chinese citizens received an 18-month prison term with a one-year suspended sentence for repeated filming of a naval base in Busan using drones and mobile phones.
According to the Busan District Court, the men, aged around 30–40, carried out nine illegal recordings of the naval base from March 2023 through June 2024.
The last filming of the naval base occurred on June 25, 2024, during the then-President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to the base to inspect the American aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which had arrived at the Korean military base.
The convicted were found guilty of violating the Law on the Protection of Military Bases and Installations; the older of them also received a verdict for aiding the enemy.
Both Chinese nationals were in South Korea as students.
Reaction and Explanation from the Court
The defendants created a significant danger to the military interests of the Republic of Korea by disclosing information related to military facilities.
– court
In its explanations, the court also noted as a mitigating factor that the photographs and video recordings taken by the defendants did not reach hostile countries or organizations.
This case highlights South Korea’s strict stance on intrusions into the security of military facilities and the use of modern recording tools.