Airmen are authorized to wear the Osan+ Pride Month morale patch on Fridays and at special events this month on Osan Air Base, South Korea. (U.S. Air Force)

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Airmen stationed on this installation 30 miles south of Seoul are authorized to wear a Pride morale patch this month.

A May 20 memo from 51st Fighter Wing commander Col. William McKibban approved the “Osan+” patch on Fridays and at special events.

The patch’s circular design features the Progress rainbow flag at the center bordered by a black ring with “Osan+” on top and “Osan Air Base ROK” at the bottom. ROK is the acronym for Republic of Korea, the formal name for South Korea.

“The Osan+ patch is the approved morale patch in honor of Pride month, which takes place in June,” wing spokeswoman Capt. Michelle Chang told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday. “The patch represents the advancement of the Air Force’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, dignity, and respect within the mission.”

The idea of the patch came from Osan+, an LGBTQ group established at the base in October, group president Tech. Sgt. Brittany Ortega said by phone Thursday. The group’s mission is to “advance the Air Force’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, dignity and respect within the mission,” she said.

The group has already sold out of the $10 patches, Ortega wrote on the group’s Facebook page Thursday. It’s unclear if more will become available.

The process to establish the Osan+ patch was easy, Ortega said.

“I think our leadership really, really just wants to promote the acceptance of LGBTQ service members and their families,” she said.

McKibban’s memo covers all uniformed personnel on base, so other branches technically can wear the patch, but that decision is up to the tenant unit commanders, Chang said.

“So, it is allowed here in Osan Air Base, but whether or not those tenant commanders will approve it at their level is really not up to us,” she said.