U.S. military unreachable over reported white phosphorus leak, Pyeongtaek says

The city of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, attempted several times to reach the U.S. military in Korea via a telephone hotline to confirm the reported leak of white phosphorus at Osan Air Base last month, but the calls went unanswered, city officials said Monday, raising questions about the effectiveness of the supposed hotline.

The city, which hosts the Osan base, attempted to reach the 51st Fighter Wing by phone three times to verify the reported leak but could not reach them at the time, the officials familiar with the matter told Yonhap News Agency.

The 51st Fighter Wing at the Osan base announced the leak of white phosphorus residue inside a munitions crate during a routine inspection on July 28, prompting the host city to issue an evacuation alert for residents in the area.

"We could not reach the U.S. military through the hotline," a city official said, referring to a communication channel shared between the city and the U.S. Air Force unit.

The official said the city government made the decision to issue an emergency evacuation alert based on advice from firefighting authorities, given that white phosphorus is a highly hazardous substance.

The city issued the evacuation advisory shortly after its repeated calls went unanswered by the U.S. fighter wing, according to the officials.

The evacuation advisory was lifted after an on-site inspection found that the incident posed no immediate danger, about 30 minutes after it was issued.

The fighter wing later issued a statement saying the leaked substance was not white phosphorus nor contained any trace of the toxic substance, but that it was "nonhazardous surface corrosion resulting from environmental exposure over time."

The 51st Fighter Wing did not offer any direct response to questions regarding unanswered calls, but vowed to strengthen information sharing efforts.

"We value our close partnership with Pyeongtaek City and remain committed to maintaining open and timely communication with our Korean counterparts," it told Yonhap, adding, "We will continue working with our local partners to strengthen coordination and ensure timely information sharing during future incidents."

Meanwhile, the U.S. military is reportedly investigating an interpreter for the U.S. military police, who had called the local police to report the possible leak of white phosphorus, to determine whether their response to the case had been appropriate, according to informed sources.

Yonhap