USFK lodges rare protest over Korean special counsel search at Osan Air Base

United States Forces Korea (USFK) filed a formal protest with the Korean government earlier this month over a July search and seizure by a special counsel team. The complaint represents a rare and unusually forceful diplomatic expression of concern from the U.S. military to its longtime ally. According to sources, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Iverson, deputy commander of USFK and head of the U.S. delegation to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Joint Committee, sent the protest letter to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Oct. 3. In the letter, Iverson voiced concern over the special counsel’s operation at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, conducted on July 21 as part of the Dec. 3 martial law investigation, and requested an explanation from Seoul as to why SOFA protocols were not observed. Under the bilateral defense agreement, prior coordination or approval is required for any external access to U.S. military installations. USFK maintains that the special counsel team’s visit to the U.S. Air Force base violated SOFA provisions governing base access. The proWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times