Chinese student arrested by South Korean police for using drone to photograph US aircraft carrier

South Korean police reported that three Chinese students were suspected of illegally photographing the U.S. aircraft carrier docked in Busan and are under police investigation.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Busan Police Department in South Korea reported on Wednesday (July 24, 2024) that three Chinese students involved, aged between 30 and 49, were arrested by the police in June for allegedly using drones to illegally photograph the US aircraft carrier docked in Busan.

South Korean police said that they are currently investigating three Chinese on suspicion of violating the "Military Base and Military Facilities Protection Act".

According to the three people, they parked on a mountain in Yonghu-dong, South District, Busan on June 25, and found the aircraft carrier docked at the Busan Operations Base of the South Korean Navy Operations Command while walking. Out of curiosity, they took the drone out of the car and filmed it.

The three people's filming behavior was discovered by patrolling local soldiers. It is reported that the drone captured a panoramic view of the aircraft carrier and the base of the South Korean Navy Operations Command, and the video length is more than five minutes.

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "USS Roosevelt" docked at the Busan Operations Base on June 22, preparing to participate in the first multi-domain joint military exercise between the United States, Japan and South Korea. On the day the three were caught secretly photographing the base, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol also boarded the USS Roosevelt to meet with US and South Korean soldiers.

Since the aircraft carrier had been publicly unveiled to the media and ordinary people were among the participants in the US military's public activities that day, it was difficult for the South Korean police to hold the three responsible for photographing the aircraft carrier. But in addition to photographing the aircraft carrier, the three were also suspected of using drones to photograph the naval combat base without permission. The South Korean police are analyzing their mobile phone call recordings and call records to understand the specific reasons for their photography.