Pyeongtaek city fails to reach US military via hotline over reported white phosphorus leak: official
A-10 Thunderbolt aircrafts are seen at the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, May 9, 2025. Newsis
The city of Pyeongtaek had attempted multiple times to reach the U.S. military in Korea via a telephone hotline when a unit based in the city reported a possible leak of white phosphorus last month, but the calls were unanswered, city officials said Monday, raising questions about the effectiveness of the supposed hotline.
The 51st Fighter Wing, based at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, reported the possible 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.
The city, located some 60 kilometers south of Seoul, tried three times to reach the 51st Fighter Wing by phone to verify the reported leak but could not reach them at the time, the officials familiar with the matter told Yonhap News Agency.
"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 "non-hazardous 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.
A civic group calls for measures to prevent a recurrence of the reported leak of white phosphorus at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, July 29. Yonhap
"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."
Another city official said the first successful call with the U.S. military was made at 5:51 p.m., about 20 minutes before the evacuation advisory was lifted.
Col. Ryan Ley, commander of the 51st Fighter Wing, also spoke directly with the mayor of Pyeongtaek later in the day to personally explain the situation regarding the reported leak, according to the official, who asked not to be identified.
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.