Exfiltrating Classified Data and Eavesdropping on Communications... Two Former Chinese Military Personnel Arrested

[Anchor]

Chinese nationals have been arrested for eavesdropping on combat aircraft control communications at a South Korean military airport and gathering military intelligence near a U.S. Forces Korea base. It was found that all of them are former members of the Chinese military.

Here is a report by Je Hui-won.

[Reporter]

In April, a man in his 60s, identified as A and formerly of the Chinese military, stayed at a hotel located about one kilometer away from the Gunsan military airport in North Jeolla Province, where he eavesdropped on communications between South Korean military pilots and air traffic controllers.

He set up an SDR receiver and antennas in his room. Unlike standard two-way radios, the device is capable only of receiving, making it difficult to detect the wiretapping.

Police also confirmed that person A, who had no record of entering the country prior, had entered South Korea multiple times starting the year before last during the periods of joint South Korea-U.S. air force military exercises.

Police are also conducting digital forensics on person A's laptop and mobile phone to investigate the extent to which communication logs were leaked and to trace any masterminds behind the operation.

During police questioning, person A claimed, "I have a hobby of listening to civil aviation communications, and I collected the information because I wanted to listen to the communications of fighter pilots."

Police arrested person A on charges of aiding the enemy and violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act.

[Choi Gi-il / Professor, Department of Military Studies at Sangji University : This is unlikely to be something done on an individual level. It is becoming increasingly important in terms of information warfare or cognitive warfare, and we must not forget institutional safety devices or vigilance....]

Another Chinese national in his 40s, identified as B, who ran a military supply store selling items near a U.S. Forces Korea base and leaked various military secrets, has also been arrested.

He is accused of recruiting person C, a South Korean national working at the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, starting in November 2021 to gather information such as the movement of weapons within the base.

Person B is also a former member of the Chinese military, and police have booked person C, who provided various pieces of information, as a suspect as well.

(Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa, Design: Jeon Yu-geun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.