U.S. Forces Korea decided to take back control of access at the Osan base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, citing "enhanced security."
According to the military authorities on the 11th, starting next month U.S. Forces Korea will implement strengthened access control measures under which the U.S. military exclusively handles access control and digital record management at three external gates of the Osan base. A U.S. Forces Korea official said, "We recently updated the base access requirements, and all changes were made in coordination with the Air Force," adding, "Ensuring security at Osan Air Base is our top priority."
Osan Air Base is a U.S. Forces Korea base that houses the 7th Air Force. Some Republic of Korea Air Force units, including the Air Force Operations Command and the Air Defense and Control Command, are also stationed there to conduct combined operations. The base has three gates. The gate near the Air Force Operations Command had been jointly managed by the militaries of both countries to allow the use of Korean government employee IDs for the convenience of Korean military personnel.
However, with U.S. Forces Korea set to reclaim the Korean military's access control authority, Korean government employee IDs will no longer be usable at the gate near the Air Force Operations Command, and entry will be allowed only with access cards issued by U.S. Forces Korea. Under the U.S.–Republic of Korea Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the U.S. military may take all measures necessary for the security, guard, and management of bases provided by Korea.
Some view this as a protest measure against the special counsel investigating the insurrection case (Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk), which, citing an investigation into alleged Pyongyang drone operations, entered Osan Air Base on July 21 without notifying U.S. Forces Korea by following guidance from the Korean military and conducted a search and seizure of the Air Force's Master Control and Reporting Center (MCRC) of the Air Defense and Control Command.