3 civilians get suspended prison terms for flying drones into N. Korea
A court on Wednesday handed down suspended prison terms to three civilians for flying drones into North Korea without permission while acquitting them of charges related to aiding the enemy. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced a graduate student in his 30s, surnamed Oh, to an eight-month prison term suspended for two years and two others to prison terms of six months, also suspended for…
Three civilians received suspended prison sentences on Wednesday for flying drones into North Korea without authorization, while being acquitted of aiding the enemy charges. The Seoul Central District Court handed down sentences of eight months, suspended for two years, to a 30-year-old graduate student named Oh, and six months, also suspended for two years, to two others.
The charges stemmed from the civilians flying drones across the inter-Korean border four times between September last year and January, in an attempt to film North Korea. Two of the drones did not return and crashed in North Korean territory, leading Pyongyang to release statements criticizing Seoul after examining the wreckage, flight logs, and video footage.
The court found the civilians guilty of operating drones weighing over 2 kilograms, the limit that requires prior reporting to the land ministry without which they were in violation of the Aviation Safety Act. The court noted that drones used for research or testing purposes are exempt from the mandatory reporting requirement.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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