Eight South Korean Students Detained After Protesting US Base Presence Near Chip Cluster Site
Eight South Korean students have been detained and are under investigation after being caught attempting to infiltrate a United States air base in the country.
The students, who were demonstrating at the time of their detention, are members of the Korean Progressive Students’ Union, as reported by AFP and Anadolu Agency on Wednesday (5/8/2026).
The student union posted photographs on social media showing a protest they held outside Osan Air Base, located some 50 kilometres south of Seoul, on Tuesday (4/8) local time.
The students had gathered outside the main headquarters of the US Air Force in South Korea to protest against the American military presence in the city of Gwangju, which they believe could complicate a major chip manufacturing project planned by Seoul in the region.
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, six of the students entered the air base area whilst shouting anti-American slogans, including one directed against the US 7th Air Force, whilst two others were stopped at the entrance gate.
In a statement, the US military said that eight people had been detained on Tuesday (4/8) local time after they “attempted to illegally enter Osan Air Base through the installation’s main gate”.
“The military handed them over to the Korean National Police, who are now holding them and carrying out the appropriate investigative procedures,” the US military statement said.
In a statement to AFP, South Korean police said the students were currently in detention but refused to speak during questioning.
In a statement on Facebook, the Korean Progressive Students’ Union condemned the “interference” of the US military in the planned chip industry cluster project in Gwangju.
South Korea has reaped substantial gains from the rapid surge in artificial intelligence (AI), which has driven manufacturing profits for chipmakers, particularly SK hynix and Samsung Electronics.
The Gwangju Military Air Base has been designated as the site for a new manufacturing centre worth 800 trillion won for the two companies. Last month, the South Korean presidential office said Seoul and Washington had begun consultations on relocating the airport in the area, part of which is used by the US military.