Two Chinese citizens involved in a spy case in South Korea continue to attract attention. They have been indicted in South Korea for allegedly eavesdropping on communications between South Korean and US military personnel, as well as acquiring military information by bribing US military personnel stationed in South Korea. On Tuesday (September 29), South Korean media outlet, “Chosun Ilbo,” revealed background information about these two individuals. One of them was a former officer in the Chinese Communist Party’s military monitoring unit, while the other had worked in the Chinese military’s special forces and public security agencies.
The indictment obtained by “Chosun Ilbo” shows that a Chinese man identified as A (in his 60s) was indicted for allegedly eavesdropping on communications between South Korean and American fighter jet pilots and control towers since 2024. A had served for 40 years in the Chinese military’s General Staff Department’s monitoring unit with the rank of colonel.
The indictment further reveals that A is accused of eavesdropping on military communications a total of 13 times from March 2024 to August 2026 in various locations, including Gunsan in North Jeolla Province, Osan in Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju Air Base, Pyeongtaek Humphreys Base in Gyeonggi Province, and Busan Naval Base. A primarily installed wireless receivers and antennas in hotel rooms near air traffic control towers or runways to eavesdrop on communication between fighter jet pilots and control towers. Out of the 13 eavesdropping incidents, 7 occurred at Gunsan Air Base where South Korean and American air forces are both stationed. In August this year, A was arrested and detained on the spot while eavesdropping at a hotel in Gunsan by the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Department.
Investigations revealed that A stored intercepted audio files and frequency information on an external hard drive and smuggled them out of the country. The information collected by A amounted to a capacity of 13.9 terabytes. A had previously traveled to China, but re-entered South Korea earlier last month in anticipation of the joint South Korea-US military exercise “Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS)”.
According to “Chosun Ilbo,” the indictment shows that Chinese citizen B (in his 40s) had served in the Chinese military’s special forces and public security agencies from 1998 to 2006. Police and prosecutors’ investigations found that B had also joined the Chinese Communist Party. B established relationships with US military personnel stationed in South Korea to obtain military-related information. This incident has raised suspicions that the Chinese Communist Party may be systematically dispatching former military intelligence personnel to South Korea to engage in espionage activities. Experts have described South Korea as a “paradise” for Chinese espionage activities.
From November 2021 to May last year, B operated a military goods store near Humphreys Base in Pyeongtaek. According to the prosecutor’s indictment, B befriended US soldier C and a South Korean civilian employee D working in the secretariat of the US Eighth Army Headquarters. B invited the two for meals multiple times, gave them gifts, and thereby established relationships to access various military-related information.
The data obtained from active US soldier C included training videos of Apache attack helicopters and F-35 fighter jets, as well as footage of US military parachute landings and assembly drills. B obtained photos of the US military commander-in-chief inauguration ceremony, information on US military officers’ whereabouts, and the post-exercise evaluation data from the 2023 UFS exercise from D.
In August, the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Department arrested both A and B on charges of ordinary espionage and transferred them to the prosecutors. Reportedly, A denied the eavesdropping charges, claiming it was merely a “personal interest,” while B also denied the allegations, stating that he had only established relationships with military personnel during his store operation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, B allegedly disguised his identity near the main entrance of Humphreys Base by operating a military goods store. Through chatting applications, B transmitted collected South Korean military confidential information to unidentified individuals, and even uploaded it to social media platforms, leaking confidential information a total of 7 times.
Military experts suspect that these cases may be part of the Chinese Communist Party’s espionage activities against South Korean and American military personnel. Over the past two years, several Chinese citizens have been apprehended for using drones or cameras to photograph important military facilities. In November last year, South Korean prosecutors arrested two Chinese high school students suspected of photographing fighter jets at various South Korean and US military installations, including international airports without authorization. The two individuals had entered South Korea multiple times from the second half of the previous year to March last year, capturing hundreds of photos of landing fighter jets and control towers. In August last year, two Chinese individuals in their 30s were arrested for illegally using drones to photograph the Jeju Naval Base.
(To be continued)