Key Points
- U.S. Forces Korea filed a formal protest with South Korea over a July 21 search at Osan Air Base, citing a violation of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
- The protest letter, sent by Lt. Gen. David Iverson, claims the special counsel team entered a joint U.S.-ROK facility without prior coordination.
- South Korean officials maintain the search was limited to areas under Korean control and conducted with proper authorization under existing agreements.
United States Forces Korea (USFK) has lodged a formal protest with the South Korean government over a search and seizure operation carried out at Osan Air Base in July by a special counsel team.
The protest was submitted on October 3 by U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Iverson, USFK’s deputy commander and head of the U.S. delegation to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Joint Committee.
In his letter, Iverson expressed concern that the July 21 operation, part of a wider investigation into a martial law declaration by South Korea’s previous administration, did not adhere to SOFA procedures. According to USFK, the investigators accessed the Republic of Korea Air Force’s 1st Master Control and Reporting Center (MCRC), located inside the joint-use Osan facility, without prior coordination or U.S. approval—steps required under the bilateral defense agreement.
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“The special counsel team’s entry into shared areas of the base was conducted without prior U.S. authorization or consultation,” USFK said, referencing SOFA provisions that regulate external access to American military installations.
The special counsel’s office, however, rejected the claim. Assistant special counsel Park Ji-young said the operation targeted areas under South Korean jurisdiction and was carried out with prior approval from the ROK Air Defense and Control Commander. “It is not true that the special counsel’s search and seizure violated the agreement,” Park said at a press briefing. She emphasized that the team presented a valid court-issued warrant and was escorted by Korean military personnel.
The MCRC, where the search occurred, sits within the Korean Air and Space Operations Center—a facility jointly staffed by U.S. and South Korean personnel but divided into national zones. USFK argues that because some access points are shared, prior notification should have been mandatory.
The July search is tied to an ongoing investigation into drone operations over Pyongyang in late 2024. Prosecutors are looking into whether the ROK Drone Operations Command coordinated with air defense units during that period. The broader inquiry centers on whether constitutional procedures were violated in connection to martial law planning under the previous president, Yoon Suk Yeol.
The issue was also raised during the Korea-U.S. summit in Washington this August, where President Donald Trump reportedly brought up the incident during his meeting with President Lee Jae Myung. According to South Korean sources, Lee told Trump that the investigation targeted only Korean military units and did not implicate U.S. forces.
USFK declined to elaborate further, stating in a brief comment, “USFK does not comment on external entities’ ongoing investigations, and we fully cooperate with ROK investigative authorities.”
Park Ji-young said Thursday that her team has no plans to summon former President Yoon again after he appeared for questioning earlier this week.
