South Korean party presses US military for more details on white phosphorus incident

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — South Korea’s opposition political party has called on U.S. Forces Korea to explain the handling of white phosphorus crystalline residue discovered inside a munitions crate on this installation Tuesday.

The discovery prompted surrounding Pyeongtaek city to issue a short-lived safety warning and evacuation advisory to residents near the base.

The incident was roughly two hours old when the 51st Fighter Wing announced in a news release around 7 p.m. that an isolated “ground mishap” had occurred, without mentioning that white phosphorus was involved.

The base issued its own “incorrect evacuation message” at 5:08 p.m. via At Hoc, a mass alert system, spokesman Master Sgt. Eric Flores told Stars and Stripes by email that evening.

That night, the wing acknowledged on its website that white phosphorus residue was discovered during a routine inspection and that explosive ordnance disposal experts were summoned to confirm the finding. The amount of material was not disclosed.

White phosphorus ignites when exposed to air and can cause severe burns through direct contact or inhalation.

Later Tuesday, South Korea’s Progressive Party called on USFK to provide more information about the event.

USFK “must immediately disclose the full details of the incident, including the purpose and scale of the white phosphorus storage, the amount leaked, the cause of the accident, whether the substance leaked outside the base, and the extent of the contamination,” according to a statement from party spokeswoman Lee Mi-seon.

Lee described white phosphorus — a component in some munitions — as a “weapon of the devil.”

Pyeongtaek city, which surrounds the base about 40 miles south of Seoul, issued a city-wide emergency mobile alert at 5:37 p.m. warning of a white phosphorus leak at Osan. It advised people in the affected area to evacuate and avoid skin exposure.

A second alert at 6:13 p.m. lifted the evacuation order and said the incident was over.

Multiple South Korean media outlets reported Tuesday that following the first city alert the U.S. military notified Pyeongtaek that the leaked chemical “was pre-diluted by approximately 80%, so the risk to human health or the surrounding environment is low.”

The wing would not comment on those reports, according to an email Wednesday from wing spokesman Ahn Woo-il.

Wing commander Col. Ryan Ley said the safety of service members, their families and their Pyeongtaek neighbors remain the highest priority.

“We deeply appreciate your patience and cooperation as our highly trained personnel safely resolve this isolated situation,” he said in Tuesday’s updated release.