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Wages partially unpaid for Korean workers at U.S. Air Force: Source

Published: 14 Oct. 2025, 21:35

Korean and American troops take part in a combined river crossing drill in Yeoju, Gyeonggi on Aug. 27. [YONHAP]

Some Korean employees working for the U.S. Air Force stationed in Korea did not receive part of their wages for October, a source said Tuesday, raising questions over the cause of the incident.

Their wages for the Oct. 1-3 period went unpaid in the latest stipend they received for the Sept. 21-Oct. 4 period, according to the source. Korean employees working for the Air Force receive their wages every two weeks.

The three days were marked as a furlough, or unpaid leave, but no advance notice or follow-up explanation was given, the source said.

The exact number of the affected workers was not immediately available, but the issue appears to have affected the majority of employees at the armed service's Osan and Gunsan air bases.

A U.S. 7th Air Force official said the accounting office at the armed service is in the process of determining the cause of the incident, without further elaboration.

The latest incident comes as the U.S. government officially shut down on Oct. 1 for the first time since 2019 after a divided Congress failed to reach an agreement over a short-term funding measure.

No payment issues for Korean employees were reported during the previous shutdown in 2019.

Their wages are mostly funded by Korea's share of defense spending, raising speculation that the latest incident could stem from a technical glitch.

Yonhap