Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
11 Chinese spying attempts detected on airbases in past year: NIS
The headquarters of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in southern Seoul. Korea Times file
By Lee Hae-rin
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported 11 incidents of unauthorized filming of military facilities in Korea by Chinese nationals since June of last year, according to lawmakers Wednesday.
The revelation came during a closed-door meeting between the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee and the NIS, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the People Power Party and Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On June 25, 2024, three Chinese nationals were caught flying a drone toward the Naval Operations Command in the southern port city of Busan, taking photos of an aircraft carrier docked at the base.
The NIS noted that these 11 cases of unauthorized filming were primarily carried out by temporary visitors, such as tourists and international students from China, including minors.
"Although the purpose of filming is claimed to be for personal record-keeping, analysis suggests that it may be intended to bypass domestic laws, given the use of high-performance cameras or radios outside the boundaries of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act."
“This is considered a low-intensity intelligence activity aimed at obtaining core military information about Korea and the U.S., and is seen as an influencing activity that weakens security awareness by dispersing and exhausting counterintelligence capabilities,” the NIS reportedly said.
The NIS is working on developing a response manual and sharing expertise among counterintelligence agencies, while also consulting experts on how to address legal shortcomings in the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act.
The NIS also urged the National Assembly to revise the espionage law to prevent leaks of state secrets and military intelligence, the lawmakers said.