Two former Chinese military servicemembers were arrested in South Korea for alleged espionage, accused of acts including intercepting communications between fighter jets and ground control and collecting information on movements of US armaments, police said on Tuesday. One of the suspects, a Chinese national in his 60s, set up an interception device consisting of a software-defined radio receiver, an antenna and a laptop at a hotel near an air base used by South Korean and US air forces in southern South Korea, police said in a statement. Police said the man is accused of intercepting communications between fighter jets flown by South Korean and US pilots and air traffic controllers at the base several times since 2024.
Military helicopters are parked at US Army Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Monday.
He previously served in the Chinese military, but refused to disclose further details about his identify, police said. The man was arrested on Monday for violating laws on aiding the enemy and protecting communication secrets, the statement said.
Police said they were conducting a forensic examination of his laptop to find if he relayed any of the intercepted communications to Chinese authorities. The man told investigators that it was his hobby to listen to communications between civilian planes and air traffic controllers and he wanted to listen to communications involving fighter jets as well. Police said they also arrested another Chinese man in his 40s on Monday on accusations of illegally collecting information from the US military headquarters near Seoul, including information on US-South Korean military drills, photos showing the movements of weapons at the headquarters and personnel changes of top US military officers. He obtained some of the information from a South Korean woman working at the US command, police said, adding that he gave her money in return for the information and they suspect the pair had a romantic relationship. The man, who runs a military supply store near the US command, said during questioning that he sought the information believing it would help his business. Police said the man, who also previously served in the Chinese military, violated laws on aiding the enemy and protecting military installations in South Korea. The statement came a day after South Korean and US militaries said they would start large-scale annual exercises next week.
