Appellate court upholds suspended prison terms for Taiwanese duo over US military aircraft filming

This undated photo shows Suwon District Court and Suwon High Court / Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon

An appellate court sentenced two Taiwanese nationals to suspended prison terms Monday for illegally filming U.S. military aircraft during an air show in May.

The Suwon District Court upheld a lower court ruling of 1 1/2 years in prison, suspended by three years, for the two suspects, each in their 40s and 60s.

"The photos taken by the defendants were all confiscated, making it unlikely they will be leaked externally," the bench said in its ruling. "Since their apprehension in May, they have been held in custody for some time ... likely giving them sufficient time to reflect on their wrongdoing."

The Taiwanese nationals were indicted on charges of attending an air show at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on May 10, without authorization, and illegally taking around a dozen photos of U.S. military aircraft and facilities.

The U.S. military had banned citizens of certain nations, including China and Taiwan, from attending the show.