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Defense chief says Osan Air Base raid did not require U.S. consultations

Published: 17 Oct. 2025, 19:11

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back attends a parliamentary audit session at the National Assembly in Seoul on Oct. 17. [YONHAP]

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday that a raid at Osan Air Base by a special counsel team was not an issue requiring consultations with the United States, following reports that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) had lodged a formal complaint over the action.

Ahn's remarks came after USFK Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. David Iverson reportedly sent a letter to Seoul's Foreign Ministry, expressing concerns over the team's search conducted in July at the air base jointly run by the allies, as part of its investigation into former ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law bid.

While the team searched an Air Force Master Control & Reporting Center operated by the Korean military, the U.S. military reportedly took issue, believing it should have consulted beforehand with USFK, considering investigators would have to go through areas under its control.

"It was not something that required consultations with the United States," Ahn said during a parliamentary audit session, stressing the search took place in areas governed by the Korean military.

"The South Korean and U.S. militaries only use the entrance and the exit together, and their spaces are separately divided," Ahn said. "Since the search and seizure took place in the Korean area, it was assessed as a matter that did not have to be notified to the United States."

In this context, Ahn said the raid does not violate the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on hosting U.S. troops in Korea.

The defense chief said he was aware of the complaint through the Foreign Ministry, but was told by the foreign minister that misunderstandings had been ironed out.

On Thursday, the special counsel team denied violating SOFA, saying investigators were authorized to enter the facility in advance and were escorted by Korean troops to the area in question in accordance with a memorandum of understanding between the allies.

The USFK said it "fully cooperates" with Korean investigative authorities, without further commenting on external entities' ongoing investigations.

Yonhap