Two ex-Chinese military officers arrested in South Korea for alleged eavesdropping and leaks

One of the arrested individuals, a Chinese national in his 60s, is suspected of making multiple visits to South Korea on a tourist visa. During these visits, which began in January 2024, he allegedly tapped communications between fighter jets and air traffic control towers from a hotel near an airport in Gunsan, a southwestern city that hosts South Korean and U.S. Air Force assets. The suspect claimed listening to aircraft communications was a "hobby," but police are investigating whether any obtained information was relayed to Chinese authorities and if he was part of a larger operation.

The second suspect, a 45-year-old ethnic Korean with Chinese nationality, is accused of recruiting a South Korean woman working at Camp Humphreys, a key U.S. base in Pyeongtaek, to obtain classified material concerning allied exercises. This individual allegedly concealed his identity while operating a U.S. military supplies store near the base and engaged in these activities from November 2021 until May.

Both suspects face charges of benefiting the enemy, which carries a penalty of life imprisonment or a minimum of three years in prison under South Korea's criminal code. They also face charges related to violating laws on the protection of communications secrets and military bases.