Prosecutors seek prison time for Chinese teens charged with illegally photographing fighter jets
Published: 22 Apr. 2026, 09:49
![A KF-16 fighter jet takes off in a mission on Nov. 3, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/22/01e8aa86-b609-4b8e-b775-a54c4aa916a5.jpg)
A KF-16 fighter jet takes off in a mission on Nov. 3, 2025. [NEWS1]
Prosecutors have demanded prison sentences for two Chinese teenagers charged with illegally photographing fighter jets near Korean military facilities and airports.
The prosecution sought a prison term of four years with a minimum of three years for one high school student, and four years for the other, during a final hearing held Wednesday at the Suwon District Court.
“This is a serious criminal act that threatens military security, and the defendants have shown no remorse,” the prosecution said.
The two teenagers are accused of entering Korea between the latter half of 2024 and March last year, with one entering three times and the other twice, and taking hundreds of detailed photographs of fighter jets during takeoff and landing, as well as control facilities.
The locations included four Korea-U.S. military sites — Suwon Air Base, Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, and Cheongju Air Base — and three major international airports in Incheon, Gimpo, Gyeonggi, and Jeju Island.
The defense, in its closing argument, asked the court for leniency for the acts of "immature children."
“The defendants are minors and high school students who did not receive instructions or support from any specific organization, but merely have a hobby of taking photographs specialized in aircraft,” it said.
The defendants also said in their final statement that there was no malicious intent. “We did not realize that acting out of simple curiosity would lead to such serious consequences. We deeply regret our actions and ask for leniency.”
Earlier in the hearing, prosecutors raised the possibility of a figure directing the teenagers, citing messages from a group chat on WeChat involving one of the defendants.
“[An individual identified as A] told us to take the photos. A gave us so much. A said they would pay us and that we just needed to take the pictures, so we came," read the message.
The defense countered that the messages were part of a lighthearted exchange among chat participants and were meant as a joke about blaming another participant if they were caught. They argued that the misunderstanding arose from interpreting isolated parts of the conversation literally.
The court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on May 14.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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