Arrest warrants sought for 4 student activists over alleged infiltration into US air base
A-10 Thunderbolt aircrafts are seen at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, May 9, 2025. Newsis
Police said Thursday they have requested arrest warrants for four student activists for allegedly trespassing on a U.S. air base in Korea earlier this week.
On Tuesday, eight members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union, four male and four female, attempted to breach the main gate of the K-55 Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, about 60 kilometers south of Seoul. Six entered the compound, while the other two were stopped at the entrance.
The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) detained the student activists on-site and handed them over to the Pyeongtaek Police Station. Four were placed in custody, while the other four were released.
The four detained allegedly filmed themselves chanting anti-U.S. slogans against the 7th Air Force, which they accused of interfering in a semiconductor cluster project in the southwestern city of Gwangju by raising concerns about its impact on U.S. military interests. The group also protested a recent white phosphorous leak at the base.
The Suwon District Court's Pyeongtaek branch has scheduled an arrest warrant hearing for later in the day, with a decision expected by evening.