S. Korean Students Enter US Ambassador's Residence To Protest Troop Upkeep Cost - Reports

Seventeen South Korean students climbed over the wall around the US ambassador's residence in Seoul on Friday to protest a planned rise in the cost of hosting US troops, media reported

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2019) Seventeen South Korean students climbed over the wall around the US ambassador's residence in Seoul on Friday to protest a planned rise in the cost of hosting US troops, media reported.

Police took the students and two activists from a civic group in custody, the Yonhap news agency said. They face a penalty for what police said was a serious incident.

It is unclear if Ambassador Harry Harris was on the premises but his Twitter feed indicates he spent the day at an airspace and defense show at the Seoul airport.

The Korean Foreign Ministry said "any harm to or attack on foreign diplomatic missions will not be justified." It called for security to be boosted around US diplomatic property.

The protest comes amid talks between Seoul and Washington on how to share the cost for the upkeep of some 28,500 US troops that have been stationed in the country since the end of the Korean War.