(LEAD) 8 student activists detained after trespassing on U.S. air base in Pyeongtaek

Eight student activists from the Korean Progressive University Student Union (KPUSU) were arrested on Tuesday after breaching a U.S. military air base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The protest took place at the K-55 Osan Air base, located approximately 60 kilometers south of Seoul.

At around 10:15 a.m., six of the activists entered the base's main compound while shouting anti-U.S. slogans, including "Let us destroy the U.S. 7th Air Force." The remaining two were prevented from entering at the entrance.

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) apprehended the activists on the premises and subsequently handed them over to South Korean authorities. The reason behind the intrusion remains unclear, but the KPUSU later took to social media, accusing the U.S. Forces Korea of obstructing South Korea's semiconductor cluster project in Gwangju.

The exact location of the soon-to-be established chip manufacturing cluster was previously chosen as a military airport in Gwangju by the South Korean government. The U.S. military has expressed concerns regarding the potential negative impact on its vital military interest at the facility.

The student activist group also expressed dissatisfaction with a recent incident involving the leakage of white phosphorus at the U.S. Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek.