US Air Force K-16 fighter jets are seen at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during a public event on May 9. (Newsis)
US Air Force K-16 fighter jets are seen at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during a public event on May 9. (Newsis)

The top US Air Force officer in South Korea has lodged a protest with Seoul’s Foreign Ministry over a raid by a special counsel team at Osan Air Base, which Washington says violated procedures under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement.

South Korea’s special counsel immediately refuted the claim later in the day, saying the raid was compliant with SOFA procedures, after the US Forces Korea’s protest letter was disclosed Thursday.

Lt. Gen. David Iverson, deputy commander of USFK and head of the US 7th Air Force, sent the letter on Oct. 3, expressing concern over the search linked to an investigation into former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, according to a government source who wished to remain anonymous.

In the letter, Iverson said the special counsel’s search and seizure did not follow proper procedures, pointing to the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA — a pact that governs the legal status of US military personnel and operations in South Korea.

The letter came in response to a July 21 raid by a team led by special counsel Cho Eun-suk. The team searched the 1st Master Control and Reporting Center, located within the Korea Air and Space Operations Center, or KAOC — a joint South Korea-US facility that detects and tracks aerial activity within the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone using both countries’ military assets.

The search sought to verify whether the South Korean armed forces’ Drone Operations Command had sent coordination requests to the South Korean air force unit when it carried out drone reconnaissance flights near Pyongyang between October and November 2024. The drone operations were suspected of intending to provoke North Korea and create a situation favorable for Yoon to declare martial law.

The special counsel team said at the time that it had obtained approval from the Korean commander of the Air Defense Command and accessed only areas and documents under South Korean control, stressing that the operation did not involve US personnel or assets.

However, an unnamed government source said the US military may believe prior coordination was necessary, as the entrances and corridors of the KAOC are shared with US forces.

“There appears to be a difference in interpretation over the detailed provisions of SOFA between the two sides,” the source said. “From our perspective, proper access procedures were followed, but the US sees KAOC as part of its controlled facility.”

However, Seoul's special counsel reiterated that the operation did not violate the SOFA, stressing it was conducted under the direction of South Korean personnel authorized to grant access under the agreement.

“The team entered the site under strict supervision and escort by South Korean military personnel, presented a search warrant issued by a judge, and obtained the listed materials through voluntary submission (from on-site personnel),” said Park Ji-young, assistant special counsel on the team. “No other search activities were conducted beyond that location.”

The Foreign Ministry declined to confirm receipt of the letter, saying it does not comment on “bilateral diplomatic or defense communication.” US Forces Korea also declined to comment on the matter.

The Osan base raid was also brought up by US President Donald Trump during his first summit with President Lee Jae Myung in Washington on Aug. 25.


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