[Anchor]

Chinese nationals have been arrested for wiretapping combat aircraft control communications at a South Korean military airport and collecting military intelligence from a U.S. Forces Korea base. It was revealed that all of them were former members of the Chinese military.

Here is a report by reporter Je Hui-won.

[Reporter]

In April, a man in his 60s, surnamed A and a former member of the Chinese military, stayed at a hotel about 1 kilometer away from the Gunsan military airport in North Jeolla Province, where he wiretapped communications between South Korean military pilots and air traffic controllers.

He installed SDR receivers and antennas in his room. Unlike ordinary two-way radios, these receivers only receive signals, making it difficult to detect the wiretapping activity.

Police also confirmed that Mr. A, who had no previous immigration records of entering South Korea, had entered the country multiple times during South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises starting the year before last.

Police are currently conducting digital forensics on Mr. A's laptop and mobile phone to investigate the extent of the leaked communication logs and to identify any masterminds behind the operation.

During police questioning, Mr. A claimed, "I have a hobby of listening to civil aircraft communications, and I collected the information because I wanted to hear the communications of fighter jet pilots."

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

[Choi Gi-il, Professor 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 measures or vigilance.]

Another Chinese national in his 40s, surnamed B, who operated a military surplus store selling military supplies near a U.S. Forces Korea base and leaked various pieces of military intelligence, has also been arrested.

He is accused of recruiting a South Korean national in his 40s, surnamed C, who worked at the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, starting in November 2021 to collect information such as the movement of weapons within the base.

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

(Video Editing: Choi Jin-hwa, Design: Jeon Yu-keun)