On Monday, Seoul’s Seocho Police Station reported that they had questioned a man in his 40s for two days before releasing him regarding allegations of violating aviation safety laws. He was detained after flying a drone to film the National Intelligence Service building, raising concerns about a potential security breach. Authorities have now imposed a travel ban on him and are investigating potential national security concerns as he remains under surveillance.
Last December, a South Korean expatriate living in Hefei, Anhui Province, China, was taken from his home while sleeping by investigators from the Hefei National Security Bureau. He was interrogated in a hotel for five months. Documents presented during detention indicated that he faced espionage charges for allegedly transferring semiconductor information from China to South Korea.
The suspect is reportedly an expert in the field, having worked for nearly two decades as an ion implantation technician in South Korean semiconductor companies. He joined Changxin Memory, a Chinese DRAM semiconductor company, in 2016, when they recruited ten South Korean semiconductor professionals. The Hefei National Security Bureau suspected that he had leaked semiconductor-related information to South Korea while employed at Changxin Memory.
The case is the first under China’s revised anti-espionage law. The revised law broadens the definition of espionage, criminalizing activities by foreign nationals and organizations that are perceived to pose a national security threat, even if the target is a third country. Chinese prosecutors officially took over the suspect’s case in May, a prison term of three to ten years, with the possibility of life imprisonment or even the death penalty in severe cases.
China’s amended anti-espionage law also prohibits filming in areas deemed critical to national security, including military sites, government buildings, and defense contractors. The drone incident in South Korea has prompted some observers to question the strength of South Korea’s response to similar cases involving foreign nationals near sensitive locations.
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