South Korean police say Chinese military veterans gathered intel at US bases

South Korean police have arrested two former Chinese service members on suspicion they illegally gathered information on military activities at a U.S. Army base and monitored military communications at a U.S. air base.

Both suspects are Chinese military veterans, a police officer in charge of the case said by phone Wednesday. He said he could not provide additional details about their military service. Some South Korean government officials must speak to the press on condition of anonymity.

Both men were detained Monday. Police allege a South Korean employee at Camp Humphreys, America’s largest overseas military base, provided one of the suspects with information about activity on the installation.

The police did not disclose whether the two Chinese nationals were working together.

Police detained suspect A, a Chinese man in his 60s, on suspicion of tapping into communications between military pilots at Kunsan Air Base and air traffic controllers, according to a Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police news release Tuesday.

In April, suspect A installed a software-defined radio receiver, antenna and laptop at a hotel near Gunsan Airport – a commercial airport that shares its runway with the South Korean and U.S. militaries – to eavesdrop on air traffic control communications, according to the news release.

Gunsan is 112 miles southwest of Seoul.

Suspect A had no record of visiting South Korea before January 2024, after which he made multiple trips that coincided with the allies’ military exercises, police allege.

Suspect A told police that tapping into aircraft communications was a personal hobby, according to the release.

In a separate news release Tuesday, police said they had detained suspect B, a Chinese man in his 40s. Suspect B operated a military goods store near Humphreys from November 2021 to May 2026.

About 40 miles south of Seoul, the base serves as the headquarters for U.S. Forces Korea, U.N. Command, Combined Forces Command, Eighth Army and the 2nd Infantry Division.

Police allege suspect B provided money and gifts to a South Korean working inside the installation for information about base activities, including South Korea-U.S. training exercises.

Suspect B additionally collected information on the movement of weapons within Humphreys and obtained photos of U.S. military command posts and change-of-command ceremonies.

Police said suspect C, a South Korean working on the installation, provided suspect B with information related to military exercises. Suspect C told police the Chinese suspect claimed the information was needed to help him run his business.

Suspect C is not under arrest but remains under investigation, the police officer said by phone Wednesday. He declined to disclose the suspect’s position at the installation.

The press releases did not specify whether any of the collected information was transmitted to the Chinese government. Both cases are still under investigation, according to police.

USFK spokesman Kim Eun-chong declined to comment on the arrests.

A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense said in a text message Wednesday that the ministry cannot comment on an ongoing police investigation.