Jeju Airport in South Korea
Yonhap news agency reported on January 10 that a Chinese tourist was arrested for using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to illegally film Jeju International Airport on Jeju Island in southern Korea, the highest-level national security facility. .
The Jeju Provincial Police Department said it is investigating the Chinese citizen for allegedly violating the Aviation Safety Act, but has not publicly identified the suspect.
The above suspect is accused of operating an unauthorized UAV about 2 km from Jeju airport runway on the afternoon of December 31, 2024 and filming the airport.
Police along with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and airport authorities are questioning the Chinese citizen on suspicions of terrorism or espionage.
UAVs are prohibited from flying within a radius of 9.3 km from Jeju International Airport, to protect national security. Last year, an object suspected to be a UAV was discovered at Jeju airport, leading to the suspension of flights.
In another development, the Korean government on January 10 said it would pay an initial subsidy of 3 million won (52 million VND)/case to the families of Jeju Air plane crash victims.
It is unclear what caused the tragic plane crash in Korea
Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong said during a meeting at the Central Disaster and Safety Response Headquarters that the “emergency living expenses allowance” will be given on the same day, regardless of the time it takes to raise funds. It’s not over yet.
Korean aviation witnessed one of the deadliest tragedies on December 29, when Jeju Air flight 2216 skidded off the runway, crashed into the airport fence and exploded, killing 179 people.
Mr. Ko said South Korea and the United States began extracting data from the black box of the crashed plane on Thursday and a comprehensive investigation will be conducted into the cause of the crash according to objective principles, fair and transparent.
In addition, this official also said that the government has completed a special inspection of flight safety facilities at 13 airports across the country, and is analyzing the results.
