Busan: South Korean authorities have detained two Chinese nationals accused of using a drone to capture footage of sensitive military sites, including a US aircraft carrier and a South Korean naval base in Busan.

According to Anadolu Agency, this incident marks the first known case involving foreign nationals being detained for unauthorized surveillance of a US military asset within South Korea. The two men, aged in their 30s and 40s, reportedly operated a drone near the Korean Fleet Command between March 2023 and June 2024. The drone is believed to have recorded 172 photos and 22 videos, amassing a total of 11.9 gigabytes of data, including footage of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a US Navy aircraft carrier.

One of the suspects, a man in his 40s, is facing several charges, such as violating the military base protection law and benefiting the enemy by other means. Meanwhile, a third suspect, a Chinese woman in her 30s, has been booked without arrest. Additionally, one of the detained men has been charged under the military base protection law.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that the drone footage may have been transmitted to the Chinese manufacturer of the unmanned aircraft and may have been distributed via TikTok and other Chinese social media platforms.