South Korea accuses Chinese students of taking illegal drone video of US aircraft carrier

Three Chinese students are under investigation by South Korean police for allegedly illegally photographing a US aircraft carrier visiting the country, Korean media reported on Wednesday.

The Chinese nationals were caught flying a drone towards Naval Operations Command (NOC) in the southeastern city of Busan on June 25 and are alleged to have illegally captured photos of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) which was docked at the base, Korea JoongAng Daily said.

CVN 71, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of Carrier Strike Group 9, entered Busan Naval Base on June 22, joined by the Aegis-equipped destroyer USS Halsey and the USS Daniel Inouye, for a trilateral naval exercise involving South Korea, the United States and Japan.

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Busan police said the suspects were accused of violating the Enforcement Decree of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act which stipulates that individuals caught photographing military bases or facilities without authorisation can face three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won (US$21,700), the report said.

The three Chinese nationals aged between 30 and 49 said their action was motivated by curiosity, according to another report by the Chinese website of Yonhap News Agency. Busan police and the local media outlets identified them as students.

The drone captured more than five minutes of footage of the aircraft carrier and the NOC base, the report said.

The unauthorised photographs were taken on the same day South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the flight deck of the aircraft carrier for an inspection, according to the outlet.

Yoon said the carrier visit symbolised firm US security commitment to South Korea, Yonhap reported last month.

It was the first time the USS Theodore Roosevelt had made a port call in South Korea and it is the first arrival of a US aircraft carrier in the country in seven months.

The investigation comes amid a lack of trust between Beijing and Seoul, with China cautious of South Korea's deepener security ties with the US and Japan through increased joint military drills.

In a move set to unnerve Bejing, Korea earlier this year confirmed it was in talks to join US-led security pact Aukus, following a similar move by Japan.

China-South Korea relations are facing "challenges and difficulties", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his South Korean counterpart in May while calling for an end to external interference in the relationship.

In recent years, China has also intensified its anti-espionage efforts, including measures aimed at safeguarding its military facilities.

Chinese security authorities reported an incident last year involving a foreign national illegally photographing a naval base and warned military enthusiasts against unauthorised photography, including disclosing sensitive information related to the building of Chinese aircraft carriers.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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