A 30-year-old graduate student, identified only as Mr. Oh, who was arrested for repeatedly flying drones into North Korea, has petitioned the court to reconsider his detention.
The Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Appeals Panel 4-1, led by Presiding Judge Song Joong-ho, is set to conduct a hearing on the legality of Mr. Oh’s detention at 2:10 p.m. (South Korean time) on Wednesday. The suspect faces charges including aiding the enemy.
Court officials confirmed that the request for a detention warrant review was filed with the Seoul Central District Court on Monday. This legal procedure allows detained suspects to ask the court to reassess the lawfulness and necessity of their continued confinement.
According to investigators, Mr. Oh is accused of conducting four test flights with drones programmed to fly from Ganghwa Island in Incheon, pass through North Korea’s Kaesong City and Pyongsan County, before returning to Paju in Gyeonggi Province.
The joint military-police task force (TF) investigating the case believes Mr. Oh’s actions were motivated by potential financial gains from the drone project.
On February 19, the TF sought an arrest warrant for Mr. Oh on charges of aiding the enemy, violating aviation safety laws, and breaching regulations protecting military installations. The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office formally requested the warrant on February 20.
Following a pre-trial detention hearing on February 26, the Seoul Central District Court issued the arrest warrant, citing risks of evidence tampering and flight.
The charge of aiding the enemy is defined in Article 99, Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code, which deals with crimes against the state. This statute mandates that any person who compromises the military interests of the Republic of Korea or provides military advantages to a hostile state shall be punished by life imprisonment or a prison sentence of at least three years.