Unionist accused of photographing U.S. bases for North

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Unionist accused of photographing U.S. bases for North

An AC-130J combat transport aircraft is parked at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi on March 13, the first day of the Freedom Shield joint military exercise. [NEWS1]

An AC-130J combat transport aircraft is parked at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi on March 13, the first day of the Freedom Shield joint military exercise. [NEWS1]

 
A high-ranking official at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) under arrest for allegedly violating the National Security Act is accused of taking photos inside U.S. military bases in South Korea and sending them to North Korean agents.
 
The official at the KCTU, surnamed Seok, is suspected of taking photos of facilities and equipment in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, in February 2021, according to officials on Wednesday.
 
He is also suspected of taking photos inside Osan Air Base, also in Pyeongtaek, around the same time.
 
According to National Intelligence Service (NIS) and police, Seok is believed to have taken closeup shots of a runway, hangar and Patriot missile system.
 
The photos were reportedly sent to an agent at the Cultural Exchange Bureau of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, an agency that specialized in establishing underground organizations in South Korea to foment domestic unrest.
 
Prosecutors believe Seok was operating as instructed by the North as they found he'd received documented instructions in early 2019 to “collect data on facilities related to national security located in southern Gyeonggi,” during a raid.
 
Prosecutors requested arrest warrants for Seok and other three former and current leaders of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), including an official at the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union surnamed Kim, a former high-ranking official of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union surnamed Kim and the owner of a so-called "peace shelter" on Jeju Island surnamed Shin, for allegedly contacting North Korean agents overseas last Thursday.
 
Suwon District Court responded by issuing arrest warrants for all four of them on Tuesday. During the arrest warrant review, authorities stressed the need to arrest them as they could pose a “threat to public safety.”
 
The suspects are accused of being in touch with multiple North Korean agents in Guangzhou, China; Hanoi Vietnam and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
 
Over 100 documents sent to and from North Korea were found during a search and seizure operation on Jan. 18, as well as major evidence to prove their alleged crimes, the NIS said in a statement on Tuesday.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]
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