(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — South Korean authorities have detained three Chinese students for filming the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71) with a drone while it was docked at a South Korean naval base.
The students, aged between 30 and 49, are enrolled at a university in Busan, a southern port city that frequently hosts U.S. warships, including aircraft carriers.
The Chinese students were arrested on July 25 after flying the drone over the Republic of Korea Navy Operation Command, where the USS Theodore Roosevelt was stationed.
The aircraft carrier had been docked at the naval base since July 23.
The detainees are accused of capturing images and videos of the military vessel and the base facilities, a violation of the Enforcement Decree of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act.
In their statement to South Korean police, the students claimed they filmed the aircraft carrier out of curiosity.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived in Busan along with the destroyers USS Halsey and USS Daniel Inouye for a routine port visit, aimed at supporting military readiness and cooperation between the two nations, according to a statement from the U.S. Navy.
Prior to arriving in South Korea, the aircraft carrier and its accompanying destroyers participated in the “Freedom Edge” exercise in the South China Sea with South Korean and Japanese warships.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt has since left South Korea and is now in the Red Sea, replacing another U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight E. Eisenhower (CVN-69), which recently completed its deployment in the region.
The Theodore Roosevelt will participate in “Prosperity Guardian” operations in the Red Sea, providing security to commercial and trade vessels against armed Houthi group attacks.
Local media reports indicate that the video filmed by the Chinese students lasted five minutes and featured panoramic views of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the Republic of Korea Navy Operation Command.
The footage was captured on the same day that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the U.S. aircraft carrier.
The presence of the drone was detected by South Korean military personnel patrolling the naval base.
Earlier this year, a similar incident occurred when a video featuring Japan’s first aircraft carrier, JS Izumo, was uploaded to Chinese social media platforms.
The footage was allegedly filmed at the Yokosuka Naval Base. The JS Izumo and JS Kaga, originally helicopter carriers, were modified by the Japanese Navy with U.S. assistance to become Japan’s first aircraft carriers since World War II.
This move has been criticized by China, which accused Tokyo of seeking to reestablish itself as a regional military power.
The modified Japanese carriers, JS Izumo and JS Kaga, are set to deploy fifth-generation F-35B fighter jets, capable of vertical short take-off and landing. – DSA