Chinese Nationals Previously Released for Photographing Pyeongtaek US Base Caught Again Taking Photos at Osan

Police Twice Conclude 'No Suspicion of Espionage'
One States, "My Father Is a Public Security Officer"

In February, a U.S. Air Force F-35A participating in the South Korea-U.S. joint air exercise is taking off from Osan Air Base. This is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Air Force

Two Chinese nationals who were previously released after being caught illegally photographing military facilities, including fighter jets, near Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, have once again been apprehended for taking similar photos.

According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency on April 23, at around 11:00 a.m. that day, the U.S. military reported that two Chinese individuals, including a person identified as A, were taking photos of fighter jets and other subjects near Osan Air Base (K-55), a U.S. military facility in Pyeongtaek.

The responding police officers arrested them on suspicion of violating the Act on the Protection of Military Bases and Installations. It was confirmed that they were the same individuals who had been caught just two days earlier, on April 21, for taking unauthorized photos near Osan Air Base.

At that time, the police, in cooperation with the National Intelligence Service and the Defense Security Support Command, concluded their investigation and determined there were no indications of espionage. As a result, they decided not to press charges and closed the case at around 5:00 p.m., only eight hours after A and the others had been detained at around 9:00 a.m.

However, just two days later, they committed the same act at the same location. The police stated that there were no indications of espionage in the photos they had taken and released them again.

Previously, on March 21, two Chinese teenagers were caught by police near Suwon Air Base, home to the Air Force's 10th Fighter Wing, for illegally photographing fighter jets during takeoff and landing using a DSLR camera and a mobile phone.

In addition to these incidents, it was found that they had taken thousands of photos at four South Korea-U.S. military facilities, including Pyeongtaek Osan Air Base (K-55), Pyeongtaek U.S. Army Base (K-6), and Cheongju Air Base, as well as at three major international airports: Incheon, Gimpo, and Jeju.

During the investigation, it was reported that they stated, "We attend high school in China and came to Korea on a special vacation." One said, "Taking photos of airplanes is my hobby," while the other stated, "My father works as a public security officer."