▲ Graduate student who flew drones to North Korea
The appeal trial for a graduate student who was sentenced to probation in the first trial on charges of building and flying drones into North Korea without permission is set to begin next month.
The 1st Criminal Division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judge Yoon Sung-sik) will hold the first appellate hearing at 2:00 p.m. on November 11 for a graduate student in his 30s, surnamed Oh, who is charged with general treason and violations of the Aviation Safety Act.
Oh was indicted on charges of evading the military's air defense surveillance to send civilian drones across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on four occasions from September of last year to January of this year, flying them over the Kaesong area in North Korea and having them record videos. In the first trial, he was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years.
Two accomplices who took part in the crime were each sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years.
Two of the drones they flew failed to return and crashed in North Korea.
North Korea recovered the crashed aircraft, analyzed the data, and issued statements of condemnation based on the flight history and video information retrieved from the drones.
The first trial found that the charge of general treason against them had not been proven, thus acquitting them of that charge, and sentenced them only for the violations of the Aviation Safety Act recognized as guilty.
Regarding the general treason charge, the court determined that it was not proven that SD cards were installed in the drones, leaving open the possibility that North Korea did not acquire any SD cards.
The first trial stated, "Even if it provided North Korea with a pretext for provocation or prompted a military response from South Korea, this cannot be taken as a basis to conclude that South Korea's military interests were infringed."
However, the charges of operating the drones without reporting to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport were upheld as guilty.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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