Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court.  

It has been confirmed that Taiwanese nationals who entered an airshow event held at a U.S. Air Force base in Korea and took unauthorized photos of fighter jets have been sentenced to suspended prison terms.

According to legal circles on the 7th, Judge Woo Je-cheon of the Criminal Division 3 at the Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court sentenced two Taiwanese nationals, identified as Mr. A (in his 60s) and Mr. B (in his 40s), who were indicted while in custody for violating the Military Base and Military Facilities Protection Act and other charges, to 1 year and 6 months in prison, suspended for 3 years.

Judge Woo stated, "The defendants entered a military base and photographed military bases or facilities without permission from the commanding officer of the jurisdiction," and ruled that "the nature of the crime is poor, considering the circumstances and content of the offense."

However, he explained the sentencing grounds, saying, "There is no evidence that the defendants intended to gather military secrets beyond entering and photographing," and "it appears that all photographs taken were confiscated and not leaked externally."

Mr. A and others are accused of illegally photographing about 10 military facilities, including fighter jets, using cameras after entering the '2025 Osan Airshow' held at the U.S. Air Force Osan Air Base (K-55) in Pyeongtaek at around 10 a.m. on May 10th, without the base commander's approval.

While airshows typically allow attendees to take photos freely, the U.S. military had prohibited citizens of certain countries, including China and Taiwan, from entering the event this year.

It was investigated that Mr. A and others, despite being stopped three times by the U.S. military, secretly entered the airshow event venue by blending in with Koreans through the entrance for domestic visitors.

During police investigation, they reportedly stated, "We took the photos out of curiosity."

Yonhap News