By The Washington Times (World News) | Created at 2026-08-04 14:00:37 | Updated at 2026-08-04 20:57:17
9 hours ago
SEOUL, South Korea — Eight leftist students were arrested Tuesday after breaching the perimeter of Osan Air Base, the headquarters of the U.S. 7th Air Force in South Korea.
Shouting “Let’s destroy the U.S. 7th Air Force!” six of the students apparently timed their charge when the base’s security gates were open. Two other students were unable to get in.
The intruders were immediately seized by U.S. security personnel and handed over to South Korean authorities.
The incident took place soon after 10 a.m. No injuries or property damage were reported.
They are being held by local police and may be charged with violating the Military Installations Protection Act.
The students are members of the left-wing, pro-North Korea Korean University Progressive Union, according to local news reports.
Reports said the youths were angry about a recent accidental release of white phosphorus on the base. They also asserted that U.S. Forces Korea is preventing the repurposing of a disused airfield in South Korea’s southwest into a semiconductor plant.
Osan Air Base, which lies around 40 miles south of Seoul, is home not only to the U.S. 7th Air Force but also the 51st Fighter Wing. Assets on base include F-16 fighters, A-10 ground attack aircraft and U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.
It is one of a triad of bases, including Kunsan and Pyeongtaek — the latter being the largest U.S. military base outside the continental U.S. — that are proximate to, or on, South Korea’s Yellow Sea coast.
In a major force restructuring, the majority of U.S. troops in South Korea were pulled south of Seoul, which lies just 35 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone and North Korea. The move was largely completed by 2018.
The three bases offer U.S. Forces Korea excellent eyes onto the Yellow Sea. China’s Yellow Sea coast is highly strategic, given its range of naval bases and naval shipbuilding facilities.
Today’s brouhaha is not necessarily an indicator of wider anti-U.S. base sentiment.
On the contrary: At a time when North Korea continues to upgrade its nuclear armory, China is flexing its muscles around the region, and Russia is engaged in a bloody invasion of Ukraine, public support for U.S. forces is peaking.
Per a 2026 survey by the Asan Institute, a think tank, 97.1% of Koreans approve of the bilateral alliance, while 82.3% support U.S. forces stationed in Korea. The poll also found that America remained the most popular nation among Koreans.
“Of all the things Americans should be concerned about, this is probably not in the top 20,” Steve Tharp, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who resides in South Korea, said of the base intrusion. “This is an anomaly in Korea: Nobody else seems to be protesting, and I am kind of stunned they would do it in this hot weather.”
South Korea is baking in a heat wave. Last weekend, the country endured the highest temperatures noted since records began.
Anti-Americanism is at a very low simmer. Anti-U.S. protests peaked in 2002, after two schoolgirls were killed in a road accident with U.S. troops. As massive demonstrations surged around the country, public spaces became — briefly — dangerous for GIs.
“Back then, servicemen were being assaulted every day when they went off base,” said Mr. Tharp, who first arrived in Korea in 1979. “This is nothing compared to those days; it looks like [the students] wanted to get arrested for a cause.”
