Chinese National Arrested in Weapons Trafficking Case While Wearing a Hat with "South Korea" and the Taegeukgi, Raising Suspicions of a "Korean Disguise" Crime in Thailand

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[Financial News]  A Chinese national suspected of large-scale weapons trafficking in Thailand has been arrested, and concern is growing after it was revealed that he was wearing a hat with the Korean word for "South Korea" and the Taegeukgi at the time of his detention. On domestic online communities, some said he could be mistaken for a South Korean, while others raised the possibility that the disguise was intentional.
According to local Thai media outlets such as Pattaya Mail on the 10th local time, a Chinese man in his 30s was recently arrested in Pattaya on charges of illegally possessing firearms and explosives. Police, who searched his residence, reportedly found a large cache of military-grade equipment, including assault rifles, ammunition, C-4 plastic explosive, and detonators.
The man's identity was uncovered after a vehicle rollover accident on the 8th. When magazines were found inside the crashed vehicle, police became suspicious and traced the suspect's identity. They later searched his residence and confirmed that he had been storing a large number of weapons.
The controversy intensified on social networking service (SNS) platforms in South Korea after photos released during the process showed the suspect being taken away by police while wearing a black hat with the word "South Korea" and the Taegeukgi printed on it.
Internet users reacted by saying, "Just from the photo, he could look like a South Korean suspect," and "That's not a hat South Koreans would wear." Some also expressed suspicion, asking whether he had tried to commit crimes while disguised as a South Korean.
Local police are not treating the case as a simple illegal weapons possession incident. Some of the seized weapons are believed to be linked to firearms used by the Royal Thai Police (RTP), and investigators are also examining the possibility of involvement by military or police insiders. Police are questioning related figures, including a naval officer, and are said to have arrested additional suspects.
During questioning, the suspect reportedly said that he had collected the weapons in order to take his own life. However, based on the large number of firearms and explosives found, along with evidence that he possessed passports and identification cards from multiple countries, police are continuing to investigate the possible involvement of an international crime network or a terror plot, as well as the motive behind the case.
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter