South Korean military removes Chinese-made cameras at bases, Yonhap says

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's military recently removed about 1,300 Chinese-made surveillance cameras installed at bases, concerned about potential security risks, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, citing an unnamed military official.

The cameras were designed to be connected to a specific server in China, but no actual data was leaked, Yonhap said.

They had been supplied by a South Korean company, with their Chinese origin determined during equipment inspections earlier this year, the report cited the official as saying.

The cameras were not used for guard operations such as along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, but for monitoring training groups and perimeter fences at bases, the report said.

South Korea's defence ministry said on Friday it is in the process of collecting the foreign-made cameras and replacing them with others. The ministry declined to confirm where the cameras were made.

Last year, Australia's foreign minister said its defence and foreign ministries were removing surveillance cameras made by Chinese-run firms from their facilities after reports that the technology posed a security risk.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies)