An attorney representing two Chinese national teenagers charged with espionage-related offenses under South Korean criminal law argued that their actions amounted to a “youthful indiscretion with no mastermind behind it” during their first trial, according to local media.
The hearing was held Tuesday at the Suwon District Court in Gyeonggi Province.
The two defendants, aged 17 and 19, were arrested for photographing South Korean military facilities and major international airports.
The attorney reportedly criticized prosecutors for portraying the teenagers as having acted under external direction or support, including allegations that they were guided by an undisclosed backer to photograph military aircraft.
“They are merely students with a hobby of photographing aircraft,” the attorney said.
He added that the two acted independently and only began traveling together after their itineraries overlapped, stressing that there was no evidence of collusion or prior coordination.
From the second half of 2024 through March 2025, the teenagers entered South Korea multiple times and photographed several sensitive locations, using cameras equipped with telephoto lenses.
These included three military bases in Gyeonggi Province: Suwon Air Base, Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, and a US military base in Pyeongtaek. They also photographed Cheongju Air Base in North Chungcheong Province, as well as Incheon International Airport, Gimpo International Airport and Jeju International Airport.
Prosecutors allege that the suspects shared the images online, potentially harming South Korea’s military interests.
The teenagers are also accused of attempting to intercept radio communications between air traffic controllers and pilots at airports and air bases by bringing China-made radio devices into the country. Authorities said the attempts failed because the suspects were unable to access the correct frequencies.
The second hearing for the two defendants is scheduled for Feb. 3.
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
