South Korean authorities have detained eight members of a liberal student group after they attempted to enter a US military base south of Seoul during an anti-US protest, local media reported.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the activists, all members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union (KPUSU), breached the main gate of K-55 Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of the capital on Tuesday.
Six protesters entered the base while chanting anti-US slogans, including “Destroy the Seventh Air Force,” and calling for the withdrawal of US forces from the country. Two other activists were stopped at the entrance.
US Forces Korea (USFK) detained the activists before handing them over to South Korean police for investigation.
In a statement posted on social media, KPUSU said the protest was aimed at opposing US interference in the country’s plan to establish a major semiconductor manufacturing cluster in the southwestern city of Gwangju.
Seoul plans to transform Gwangju Airport, a dual-use military and civilian airfield, into a flagship semiconductor manufacturing hub for the country’s southwestern region. The project, however, faces a major hurdle because the airport also serves as a Korea-US Air Force Collocated Operating Base (COB), meaning any relocation or redevelopment would require consultations with Washington under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement.
Established in 1964, Gwangju Airport is one of five COBs in South Korea, allowing US air assets to deploy rapidly during emergencies even though no American operational units are permanently stationed there in peacetime.
South Korean officials have said they are coordinating closely with Washington to ensure any relocation does not undermine the allies’ combined defense posture.
The presidential office has also confirmed that consultations with the United States are already under way because US forces use part of the base.
Military analysts have warned that relocating the facility before a fully prepared alternative is in place could undermine defense readiness. Talks over moving the base to nearby Muan County are ongoing but have yet to be finalized, adding further uncertainty to the timeline for the semiconductor project.
The student group also pointed to last week’s white phosphorus incident at Osan Air Base, which briefly prompted South Korean authorities to evacuate nearby residents. Local officials said the evacuation was triggered by a white phosphorus leak, while the US military described the incident only as a “ground mishap” that prompted the establishment of a safety cordon, without confirming that a leak had occurred.
White phosphorus is a highly controversial incendiary substance used in military munitions and smoke shells. Once ignited, it burns at extremely high temperatures and can cause severe injuries, burning through human tissue and igniting buildings.
The United States has repeatedly drawn international condemnation for using white phosphorus in military operations in densely populated areas, including Gaza and other war zones.
