Five Greenpeace activists, including the captain of the group’s iconic Rainbow Warrior ship, appeared in a Seoul courtroom on Friday for the first hearing related to a protest staged last November during a global plastics summit in Busan.
The activists — UK, German and Mexican nationals — have been charged with obstruction of business and unlawful intrusion onto a vessel. The charges stem from a demonstration held off the coast of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, coinciding with the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution.
During the protest, the activists boarded a vessel transporting plastic resin and unfurled a banner that read “Strong Plastics Treaty,” urging negotiators to push for a binding international agreement to reduce plastic production.
Following the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, the activists held a press conference outside the courthouse, reiterating their call for a robust global treaty to address plastic pollution at its source.
All five individuals have been prohibited from leaving South Korea, pending the outcome of the trial.
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