The captain of Greenpeace’s vessel Rainbow Warrior and four activists made their first appearance in a South Korean court on Friday, May 16, on charges related to a 2024 incident where they boarded a Japanese-owned LPG tanker that was anchored off South Korea. They have been detained in the country since November after the protest in which they used the ship to call for a strong international plastics treaty ban.
The protest was coordinated to the fifth round of negotiations for a UN Global Plastic Treaty that was taking place in Busan, South Korea. Greenpeace’s vessel Rainbow Warrior was conducting a “Sailing for Change” tour in Eastern Asia and coordinated a visit to the scheduled negotiations.
The four protestors set off from the mother ship on November 30 for one of the group’s typical protests that involve banners to draw attention to their cause. The protestors displayed banners calling for the treaty and painted the words “Plastics Kill” on the side of the Panama-registered LPG tanker Buena Alba (3,146 dwt). Four activists, Sam Rodrigues (Mexican), Alex Wilson (British), Ash (Taiwanese), and Jens (German) also boarded the ship, which was at anchor, and climbed its mast to unfurl their banners.
Greenpeace’s activists atop the mast of the LPG tanker (Greenpeace)
Greenpeace contends it was a peaceful protest and put no one in danger. They said the tanker was waiting to load chemicals at the Hyundai Daesan Refinery.
The South Korean police took the four into custody along with the captain of the Rainbow Warrior and held them for nearly two days during the investigation. While they were released, they were ordered to remain in South Korea for the outcome of the investigation.
Today, they appeared in the Seoul Central District Court for their first hearing. They are all being charged with obstruction of business and unlawful intrusion onto a vessel according to the Korean Yonhap news agency. They report that the court continues to prohibit the five from leaving the country.
The group staged a protest outside the court as part of a campaign calling for the release of its members so that they can return home to their families. They also called for a quick conclusion to the trial, and at the same time, repeated their calls for the Plastics Treaty.
It is the latest in a series of court cases involving Greenpeace activists for their incidents with ships. In September 2024, a Danish court fined the group for its efforts at blocking tankers they linked to the Russian oil trade, which were transferring or transporting crude oil in Danish waters. Greenpeace and Shell also settled a case in December after the group’s activists boarded and set up camp on an oil platform that was being transported into the North Sea. Greenpeace agreed to donate £300,000 ($383,000) to the RNLI, a charity that provides lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education, and flood rescue around the UK, and for its activists to stay away from Shell sites in the North Sea for periods ranging between five to 10 years.