Graduate student in 'North Korean drone intrusion' case faces detention decision as warrant hearing set for tomorrow

[Financial News] A graduate student in his 30s surnamed Oh, identified as the main culprit in the "North Korean drone intrusion" case, now stands at a crossroads over whether he will be taken into custody.
According to the legal community on the 23rd, Presiding Judge Boo Dong-sik of the Seoul Central District Court, who is in charge of arrest warrants, will hold a pretrial detention hearing for Mr. Oh at 10:30 a.m. on the 24th. He is suspected of ordinary espionage under the National Security Act, violating the Aviation Safety Act, and violating the Military Bases Act.
Mr. Oh is accused of conducting four test flights of a drone that was programmed to depart from Ganghwa Island, Incheon, pass through Kaesong City and Pyongsan County in North Korea, and then return to Paju City, Gyeonggi Province, in order to test its performance.
The Joint Military-Police Investigation Task Force (TF) believes that Mr. Oh carried out these acts with the aim of gaining economic profit through a drone business. The TF concluded that his actions heightened tensions between the two Koreas, including prompting a condemnation statement from North Korea, thereby putting the public at risk. It also assessed that he harmed military interests by exposing information related to South Korea's armed forces and altering their state of readiness.
In line with this assessment, the TF requested a preliminary arrest warrant for Mr. Oh on the 19th. Prosecutors subsequently applied to the court for a formal arrest warrant.
This is the first time the TF, which is investigating seven suspects including Mr. Oh, has moved to secure a suspect's custody. Previously, in addition to three civilian suspects, the TF booked three active-duty soldiers and one National Intelligence Service (NIS) employee on charges including violation of the Aviation Safety Act for their alleged involvement in operating the drone.
welcome@fnnews.com Jang Yu-ha Reporter