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Deputy Special Counsel Park Ji-young of the martial law probe team briefs reporters in Seoul on August 26. / Source: Yonhap News

The special counsel investigating the alleged martial law conspiracy clarified Tuesday that its raid on Osan Air Base was entirely unrelated to U.S. forces, directly countering remarks made earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump.

At a press briefing, Deputy Special Counsel Park Ji-young said, “The July 21 search of the Air Force’s Central Air Defense Command at Osan Base was limited to materials collected by Korean reconnaissance assets. The operation was carried out with the approval of the Air Defense Control Commander.”

Trump had previously suggested that South Korea’s new government “went into our military base to gather information,” a comment interpreted as referring to the special counsel’s raid connected to investigations into suspected foreign-exchange violations, including North Korean drone infiltration over Pyongyang.

The drone incident arose after North Korea claimed last October that a South Korean UAV entered Pyongyang’s airspace and dropped propaganda leaflets. The probe later expanded into suspicions that former President Yoon Suk-yeol may have sought to provoke North Korean aggression as a pretext for declaring martial law.

Park emphasized that “military facilities involving classified information can be searched with the commander’s approval. If the commander deems consultation with U.S. forces necessary under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), then approval is granted accordingly.” She added, “The Osan search was never officially announced by the special counsel. We are clarifying only because inaccurate claims have surfaced — the search covered Korean military data only.”

Separately, the special counsel team raided three locations Tuesday morning linked to former Coast Guard planning chief Ahn Sung-sik, including his residence, official quarters, and Coast Guard headquarters office.

Ahn is suspected of suggesting that Coast Guard personnel carry firearms and that staff be dispatched to the martial law command at the time of the emergency declaration. According to allegations, he voiced these opinions during a nationwide commanders’ video conference convened immediately after the proclamation.

Deputy Counsel Park said, “This raid concerns discussions at that Coast Guard commanders’ meeting. Since a warrant was requested and issued, we believe related criminal facts will be substantiated.” The team plans to summon Ahn for questioning after reviewing the seized materials.