ISTANBUL

South Korean authorities have arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly using a drone to film sensitive military sites, including a US aircraft carrier and a South Korean naval base in Busan, local media reported Thursday.

The arrests mark the first known case involving foreign nationals detained for unauthorized surveillance of a US military asset in South Korea, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Police said the two men, in their 30s and 40s, operated a drone near the Korean Fleet Command between March 2023 and June 2024. The drone is believed to have recorded 172 photos and 22 videos, totaling 11.9 gigabytes of data, including footage of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a US Navy aircraft carrier.

One of the men, in his 40s, faces multiple charges, including violating the military base protection law and benefiting the enemy by other means. A third suspect, a Chinese woman in her 30s, was booked without arrest, while one of the arrested men was also charged under the military base law.

Authorities suspect that the drone footage may have already been transmitted to the Chinese manufacturer of the unmanned aircraft and shared via TikTok and other Chinese social media platforms.