8 student activists detained after attempting to enter US air base in South Korea

South Korean authorities on Tuesday detained eight members of a liberal student group after they attempted to enter a US air base south of the capital Seoul, local media reported.

The student activists were detained at K-55 Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Seoul, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing South Korean police.

The activists, all members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union (KPUSU), breached the base’s main gate. Six entered the compound while chanting anti-US slogans, including slogans opposing the US 7th Air Force, while two others were stopped at the entrance.

US Forces Korea (USFK) detained the group before handing them over to South Korean police for investigation.

The KPUSU later said on social media that the protest was linked to its claim that US forces were obstructing South Korea’s planned semiconductor manufacturing cluster in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

The South Korean government has designated a military airport in Gwangju as the site of the proposed chip production hub, while the US military has expressed concerns that relocating the airport could affect its military interests.

The student group also cited a recent white phosphorus leak at Osan Air Base as another reason for the demonstration.