The US Military Will Take Over Again Control Of Access To The Osan Air Base Gate

United States FA-18A Hornet fighter jets in Osan Air Base. (Wikimedia Commons/US Air Force/1stLt. Shafran)

JAKARTA - The United States Air Force in South Korea will take steps to tighten security by returning control of access to the Osan Air Base gate in Pyeongtaek, which is currently being used together with the South Korean military, officials said on Thursday.

The move comes after the US military filed a complaint over searches and seizures by a special advisory team at an air base located about 65 kilometers south of Seoul, in July as part of their investigation into a failed military emergency attempt by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Currently, the US is controlling access to two of the three gates used at the air base, which also accommodates important facilities operated by the South Korean Air Force, such as Air Force Operations Command and Air Force Control and Main Reporting and Reporting Center.

After stricter security measures take place next month, South Korean military personnel will need US-approved defense identity cards to access the remaining gates at the air base.

The South Korean military can now access it with an identity card issued by the South Korean Government.

The US 51st Combat Squadron confirmed the base's access requirements had been "renewed" to ensure security.

"We recently updated the requirements for base access, and all changes were made in coordination with our ROKAF partners," the unit said in a statement, referring to the South Korean Air Force with its official name, the Air Force of the Republic of Korea (ROKAF), reported by Yonhap (11/12).

"Our priority is to ensure the security of the Osan Air Base, and this change will increase our interoperability with our ROKAF partners," he said.

Meanwhile, a South Korean Air Force official said the two sides were coordinating closely to improve the access system at Osan Air Base, without providing further explanation, citing security.

After a raid by a special advisory team, the Deputy Commander of the US Forces in Korea (USFK) Lieutenant General David Iverson reportedly sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest the search.

South Korean officials, including heads of defense and Air Force ministries, have stressed that the search took place in areas controlled by the South Korean military, and the raids did not violate the bilateral Forces Status Agreement on the deployment of US troops in South Korea.