Overview
- South Korean police detained and charged two former Chinese military personnel on suspicion of gathering information at U.S.-hosted bases, with authorities announcing the arrests in mid‑August after investigations led to their detention on Monday.
- One man in his 60s is accused of using a software‑defined radio device, an antenna and a laptop from a hotel near Gunsan Airport to intercept communications between fighter aircraft and air traffic control.
- The other suspect, a man in his 40s who ran a military supplies shop near Camp Humphreys, is accused of recruiting and paying a South Korean base employee for details about exercises, weapons movements and photographs.
- Both men face charges including aiding an enemy state and violations of laws protecting military installations and communications, and the South Korean employee has been removed from duty and remains under investigation.
- Authorities have seized electronic devices for forensic analysis, notified U.S. military contacts, and say the probe will determine the scope of the intelligence collected and whether it was transmitted to Chinese authorities, which could affect allied operational security.