South Korean Police Seek Arrest Warrants for Four Student Activists Over Alleged Intrusion at Osan U.S. Air Base
Key Takeaways
- •Police sought arrest warrants for four student activists accused of trespassing onto Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, approximately 60 kilometers south of Seoul.
- •Eight members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union attempted to force entry into the base on Tuesday, with six managing to enter before being detained by U.S. Forces Korea personnel.
- •Four of the detained activists were placed in formal custody while the other four were released without formal charges.
- •The protesters accused the 7th Air Force of interfering with a semiconductor cluster project in Gwangju and cited a recent white phosphorous leak at the base as motivations for their demonstration.
- •The Suwon District Court's Pyeongtaek branch scheduled an arrest warrant review hearing with a ruling anticipated by Thursday evening.
Police announced Thursday that they have requested arrest warrants for four student activists accused of trespassing onto a U.S. military air base in South Korea earlier this week.
On Tuesday, eight members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union — four men and four women — attempted to force their way through the main gate of K-55 Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, located approximately 60 kilometers south of Seoul. Six of the activists managed to enter the compound, while the remaining two were stopped at the entrance.
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel detained the activists on-site and subsequently transferred them to the Pyeongtaek Police Station. Four individuals were placed in formal custody, and the other four were released.
According to authorities, the four detained activists recorded themselves chanting anti-U.S. slogans directed at the 7th Air Force, which is headquartered at Osan. The group accused the 7th Air Force of interfering with a semiconductor cluster project in the southwestern city of Gwangju by raising objections about its potential impact on U.S. military interests. South Korea is one of the world's leading semiconductor producers, and large-scale chip cluster projects such as the one planned in Gwangju are closely tied to national industrial policy and global supply-chain competition. The activists also cited a recent white phosphorous leak at the base as a motivation for their protest. White phosphorous, a substance used in military munitions, has been a recurring source of environmental and safety concerns at U.S. military installations in South Korea.
Osan Air Base is a major U.S. military installation in South Korea, serving as headquarters for both the 7th Air Force and the 51st Fighter Wing. It has long been a focal point for protests by South Korean civil society and activist groups opposed to the U.S. military presence, which is anchored by the 1953 U.S.–South Korea Mutual Defense Treaty.
The Suwon District Court's Pyeongtaek branch has scheduled an arrest warrant review hearing for later in the day, with a ruling anticipated by Thursday evening.
Source: The Korea Times
