USFK protests special counsel investigation team raid, gov't denies wrongdoing

Home > National > Politics

USFK protests special counsel investigation team raid, gov't denies wrongdoing

Published: 16 Oct. 2025, 17:36 Updated: 16 Oct. 2025, 18:56

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Special counsel Cho Eun-seok is seen during his appointment ceremony on June 13. [NEWS1]

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) sent a letter of protest to the Korean government over a raid conducted by the special counsel investigation team led by Cho Eun-seok at Osan Air Base, according to diplomatic sources on Thursday.

The special counsel team reiterated in a press briefing held on Thursday that the raid did not violate the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Korea and the United States.

The letter was sent by USFK Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. David Iverson to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Oct. 3, according to diplomatic sources.

In the letter, Iverson reportedly expressed concerns about the special counsel team's search of the Korean Air Force’s Master Control and Reporting Center (MCRC) located within the Osan base on July 21 and requested an explanation as to why SOFA was not adhered to in this case. Iverson serves as the U.S. co-chair of the SOFA Joint Committee.

On July 21, the special counsel team raided the MCRC, which is jointly used by the USFK and the Korean Air Force, as part of an investigation into allegations that former President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered a cover drone operation in a foreign aggression attempt to instigate North Korea. The special counsel explained on Aug. 26 that the search had “nothing to do with the U.S. military and targeted only materials under the management of the Korean military.”

The U.S. Air Force's F-16 fighter jets deployed to Gwangju Air Base are seen on April 17. [YONHAP]

In an Aug. 26 briefing, Park Ji-young, the special counsel assistant, clarified that the search targeted only information collected by Korean reconnaissance assets and managed by Korean personnel.

“The raid was conducted under the approval of the commander of the Air Defense Command,” Park said. “The materials in question were under Korean military jurisdiction and had no connection with the U.S. military.”

“There were no objections or protests raised by the U.S. military,” Park emphasized. “If consultation with U.S. forces had been necessary, the Korean commander would have handled it accordingly.”

Despite the Korean side’s insistence that only Korean-controlled areas and materials were involved, the U.S. military took issue with the fact that access to the MCRC required passing through a U.S.-controlled area, according to the source. Under SOFA, prior agreement is required in such instances.

When asked about the letter, the Foreign Ministry stated, “It is not appropriate to confirm diplomatic or defense-related communications between Korean and U.S. authorities.”

A F-15K fighter jet of the Korean Air Force deployed to Gwangju Air Base is seen on April 17. [YONHAP]

In response to news of the U.S. military’s protest, Park reiterated during Thursday's briefing that “the search at Osan Air Base was conducted in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act and did not violate the SOFA agreement between Korea and the United States.”

“At the time, investigators entered the site after receiving preapproval and an access badge from the Korean military, which holds entry authority under a memorandum of understanding between the two countries,” Park said.

“The search was conducted under the supervision of the Korean military, with investigators showing a warrant issued by a judge, receiving consent from the site’s Korean commander and obtaining the relevant materials — also reviewed for security sensitivity — through voluntary submission,” she further explained.

U.S. President Donald Trump also commented on the issue during an executive order signing ceremony at the White House on Aug. 25.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump are seen conversing during a summit at the White House in Washington on Aug. 26. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

“I heard that there were raids on churches over the last few days, very vicious raids on churches by the new government in Korea, that they even went into our military base and got information,” Trump said. “They probably shouldn't have done that, but I heard bad things. I don't know if it's true or not. I'll be finding out.”

“As you know, your new president's coming in just a couple of hours, coming forward to meeting him, but we won't stand for that,” Trump added.

Trump’s remarks were widely interpreted as referring to a raid on the Yoido Full Gospel Church by another special counsel team and the Osan Air Base by the insurrection probe.

During a subsequent Korea-U. S. summit, President Lee Jae Myung reportedly clarified that “the investigation did not target the U.S. military itself but rather sought to understand how the Korean military’s control systems inside the base were operating,” to which Trump responded that he was “confident” that there had been a misunderstanding.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]