Police say they have detained two international students from China on allegations of illegally filming U.S. aircraft carriers arriving in the southeastern port city of Busan and facilities at the Busan Naval Base, and posting the images on Chinese social media sites.
 
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said the two Chinese nationals were taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Military Base Act, while another Chinese student was booked without detention after a yearlong investigation in cooperation with the prosecution and the National Intelligence Service.

The Chinese students allegedly filmed the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that entered the Busan Naval Base on June 22 last year.

The Busan Naval Base is also the headquarters of the regional commander for the U.S. Navy in the Republic of Korea.
 
In addition to allegedly filming U.S. aircraft carriers, they are suspected of illegally photographing and filming more than 11 gigabytes of military bases and facilities on nine occasions between March 2023 and June last year.

According to the authorities, the actions of all three students posed a risk to national security, and one of the students is facing charges related to the unlawful transfer of sensitive information, a first for a foreign national in South Korea.

The police plan to finalize their investigation as soon as possible and hand the case over to the prosecution.