Chinese Teen Arrested at Jeju Airport for Eavesdropping on Air Traffic Control and Photographing Military Facilities

Listened Illegally to Air Traffic Control for 1.5 Hours
Camera Contained Photos of Military Facilities in Other Regions
Exit Ban Imposed, Police Investigating Espionage Suspicion

A Chinese teenager was apprehended at Jeju International Airport after a citizen noticed suspicious activity and reported him to authorities. The teenager was secretly eavesdropping on aviation control communications using a radio at the airport's observatory and had also taken photographs of military facilities at airports in other regions with his camera. He was arrested on the spot by police and has since been placed under an exit ban, while the police have launched a rigorous investigation to determine the details of the incident, including any concrete suspicions of espionage.

A passenger plane is landing at Jeju International Airport. Photo by Changwon Park

According to the Jeju Metropolitan Police Agency on September 15, the police have booked a teenage male of Chinese nationality, referred to as Mr. A, on charges of violating the Protection of Communications Secrets Act and are currently investigating him.

Mr. A is suspected of illegally intercepting communications for about one hour and thirty minutes starting around 9 a.m. on August 27, 2026, at the fourth-floor observatory of Jeju International Airport, using a radio he had brought himself to listen in on communications between the control tower and aircraft.

On the day of the incident, Mr. A entered Jeju carrying the radio and began listening in on the communications network at the observatory. His suspicious behavior was noticed by a citizen, who alerted airport authorities, leading to his arrest.

Responding immediately to the report, police arrested Mr. A at the scene.

The device he used in the commission of the act was found to be a walkie-talkie, easily purchased for about 40,000 won from a Chinese online marketplace.

In the course of the investigation, police examined Mr. A's camera and discovered several photographs of military facilities within airports in areas such as Gyeonggi Province, prompting the investigation to expand further.

Furthermore, despite being a teenager, it was revealed that Mr. A had made multiple trips between Jeju and other domestic locations alone, without guardians or companions.

Given the seriousness of the matter, police immediately imposed an exit ban on Mr. A and are focusing their investigation on determining whether his actions stemmed from simple curiosity or represent espionage activity, while also probing the exact purpose of his entry and any additional offenses.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.