Entered on Tourist Visas, Took Photos on the 21st of Last Month
Claimed "I Have a Hobby of Photographing Airplanes"
On the occasion of Armed Forces Day, F-4 (Phantom) jets are flying in formation at Daegu Air Base (11th Fighter Wing) during the "71st Armed Forces Day event" (not directly related to the article).
Chinese nationals were caught by the police for unauthorized photography of fighter jets near the Air Force 10th Fighter Wing located in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.
On the 7th, according to the Security Investigation Division of the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency and Yonhap News, the police have criminally charged two late-teen Chinese nationals, including Mr. A, for violating the Military Base and Military Facilities Protection Act and have imposed a travel ban.
Mr. A and others are suspected of using a DSLR camera and mobile phones to take unauthorized photos of fighter jets landing and taking off near the Suwon Air Force Base, where the Air Force 10th Fighter Wing is stationed, at around 3:30 PM on the 21st of last month.
A resident who witnessed the incident reported to 112, saying, "Two men are taking pictures around the Air Force base." Security investigation officers from Hwaseong Dongtan Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the incident site, along with counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigators from the provincial police, immediately dispatched to the scene, apprehended Mr. A and others, and brought them to the police station for questioning in a voluntary accompaniment format.
Investigations revealed that Mr. A and the others are high school students attending school in China and had entered the country on tourist visas three days before the incident. A large number of photos of flying fighter jets were found on the DSLR camera and mobile phones they possessed. The police are currently investigating through mobile phone forensics whether Mr. A and others have committed similar offenses at other military facilities, airports, ports, or other nationally important facilities besides the Suwon Air Force Base.
Mr. A reportedly stated to the police that "I usually have a hobby of taking pictures of airplanes." However, the police do not fully trust Mr. A’s statement and are keeping all possibilities open, including the suspicion of espionage, while continuing the investigation.
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