A South Korean court on Wednesday sentenced two Chinese nationals for illegally filming a naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on multiple occasions using drones and mobile phones.
Both men were students in South Korea at the time of the offences.
The court found that the pair filmed the Busan naval base on nine occasions between March 2023 and June 2024, according to Yonhap.
The final incident took place on June 25, 2024, when then-President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the base to inspect the docked U.S. aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Yonhap reported.
The older defendant was convicted of the offence of benefiting the enemy, while both men were found guilty of violating South Korea's Military Bases and Installations Protection Act, according to the court.
The defendants used mobile phones and a Chinese drone to film the facility, the court said.
In the ruling, the court said that the defendants "caused significant danger" to South Korea's military interests by exposing information about military installations, though there is no evidence the recorded material was leaked to hostile organizations or enemy states.
The court rejected the defendants' argument that they had filmed the site solely because of an interest in military culture.
The case is one of several recent prosecutions involving foreign nationals accused of filming military facilities in South Korea.
The Busan case did not establish any connection between the defendants and foreign governments, intelligence services or military organisations.
The court's findings focused on the act of filming protected military facilities and the potential impact on South Korea's military interests.
South Korea restricts photography and filming at military installations under laws designed to protect sensitive defence information.
The Busan naval base is one of the country's key naval facilities and regularly hosts vessels from the South Korean navy.
The base has also received visits from U.S. naval vessels as part of the security alliance between South Korea and the United States.