A group of eight student protesters were in detention and under investigation after trying to break into a US air base, police and the American military said.
The Korean Progressive University Student Union posted social media images of its Tuesday demonstration outside the Osan Air Base.
Members gathered outside the main hub of the US Air Force in South Korea, arguing the US military’s presence in the southern city of Gwangju could complicate Seoul’s major chipmaking project planned there.
Eight people were detained on Tuesday after they “attempted to unlawfully enter Osan Air Base through the installation’s main gate”, a US military statement sent to AFP said.
The military “transferred them to the Korean National Police, who have assumed custody and are conducting the appropriate investigative procedures”, it added.
South Korean police said yesterday the students are being held in detention but have refused to speak during questioning.
The student group in a statement on Facebook condemned the US military’s “interruption” of a chip cluster project slated for Gwangju.
South Korea has benefitted hugely from the AI boom driving manufacturing profits for its chipmaking firms, particularly SK hynix and Samsung Electronics.
The Gwangju Military Airbase is the site designated for a new 800 trillion won (RM2.29 trillion) manufacturing hub for the two companies.
The president’s office said last month that Seoul and Washington have begun consultations about relocating the airport, part of which is used by the US military.
The US military presence has long fuelled anti-American sentiment among some, with issues including the exploitation of local women who work in camptowns serving US troops. — AFP
