Taiwanese held in Korea for filming US warplanes get government help

Seoul, May 12 (CNA) The Taipei Mission in Korea has given a list of recommended lawyers to the family of two Taiwanese nationals detained on suspicion of illegally filming U.S. military aircraft and facilities in South Korea, the office said Monday.

Taiwan's representative office in Korea has also requested the South Korean police to help in notifying the office of follow-up matters, it said.

The representative office took the action after it was asked by the families of the two suspects for legal assistance.

The Pyeongtaek Police Station placed the two suspects -- one in his 40s and the other in his 60s -- under emergency detention Sunday on suspicion of breaching the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act, according to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency.

They are accused of illegally photographing U.S. military facilities and equipment during an air show held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday, according to the police agency.

According to a report by Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency, visitors are free to take pictures at air shows.

The U.S. military, however, prohibits citizens of certain countries, including China and Taiwan, from entering Osan Air Power Days events due to a recent string of illegal filming of South Korean military facilities by Chinese people.

The two Taiwanese individuals allegedly entered the air show venue by mingling among South Korean visitors.

The police are currently reviewing whether to apply for a formal arrest warrant for the two men, the agency quoted the police agency as saying.

(By Liao Yu-yang and Evelyn Kao) Enitem/ls