South Korean Students Detained For Allegedly Breaking Into U.s. Military Base

SEOUL, South Korea — A group of 8 South Korean students were detained Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a United States aerial guidelines while shouting anti-U.S. slogans, South Korean authorities said.

U.S. subject unit detained nan 4 antheral and 4 female students aft they allegedly entered Osan Air Base adjacent nan superior Seoul. They were later transferred to nan custody of South Korean authorities, constabulary said.

The students were being investigated nether a rule protecting subject installations successful South Korea, according to police, who said they each had invoked their correct to stay silent during questioning.

Police said nan students shouted slogans astatine nan tract including, “Let’s smash U.S. 7th Air Force.”

A U.S. subject connection said nan group attempted to unlawfully participate nan guidelines done nan main gross and that “unauthorized attempts to entree a U.S. subject installation are taken highly seriously.”

The incident will beryllium addressed successful accordance pinch applicable U.S. and South Korean laws and procedures, nan subject said.

The Korean Progressive University Student Union said successful a connection connected Facebook that those detained were members who were trying to protestation what it called nan U.S. military’s guidance to a South Korean semiconductor cluster project.

South Korean constabulary declined to remark connected nan group’s statement, which was not addressed by nan U.S. military.

The Yonhap news agency reported nan U.S. said it has important interests successful a subject airdrome group to beryllium relocated complete nan semiconductor project.

There are astir 28,500 U.S. troops stationed successful South Korea to thief deter imaginable aggression from North Korea, a bequest of nan 1950-53 Korean War that ended pinch an armistice, not a bid treaty.

Surveys person steadfastly shown a mostly of South Koreans support nan U.S.-South Korean subject alliance, but nan U.S. beingness and its domiciled successful South Korea’s turbulent modern history besides person been long-running sources of anti-U.S. sentiment among galore successful South Korea.

South Korean constabulary arrested 4 students successful 2019 who collapsed into nan U.S. ambassador’s residence successful Seoul while protesting nan Trump administration’s demands for nan state to salary much to thief screen nan costs of U.S. troops there.

Kim writes for nan Associated Press.