Eight South Korean university students were detained on Tuesday for allegedly entering a United States military installation near Seoul while staging an anti-US protest, according to South Korean authorities. The students were reportedly taken into custody after US military personnel stopped them at Osan Air Base before transferring them to South Korean police.

The group, consisting of four male and four female students, allegedly entered the base illegally and shouted slogans criticising the US military presence in South Korea. Police said the students raised slogans including “Let’s smash US 7th Air Force” during the incident. Authorities are investigating the case under laws that protect military installations, while the students have reportedly exercised their right to remain silent during questioning.

The US military said the group attempted to gain unauthorised access to the base through the main gate. In a statement, the military said attempts to enter a US military facility without permission were treated as a serious security matter. It added that the incident would be handled according to applicable South Korean and US legal procedures.

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The Korean Progressive University Student Union said the detained individuals were members of the organisation and claimed they were protesting against what it described as US opposition to a South Korean semiconductor cluster project. South Korean police did not comment on the group’s claims, and the US military also did not directly respond to the statement.

The Osan Air Base incident comes amid a long-standing debate in South Korea over the role of US forces in the country. Around 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as part of a security arrangement aimed at deterring possible aggression from North Korea. The military presence dates back to the aftermath of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.

While opinion surveys have generally shown continued public support for the US-South Korea alliance, the American military presence and its historical role in South Korean affairs have also generated criticism among some groups. Similar anti-US protests have occurred in the past, including in 2019 when four South Korean students were arrested after entering the US ambassador’s residence in Seoul during a demonstration over defence cost-sharing issues.

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