Evacuation Order Issued Briefly Following White Phosphorus Leak at U.S. Military Base in Pyeongtaek

An evacuation order was briefly issued for residents after a report was received regarding a leak of white phosphorus, a toxic chemical substance, at a U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

At around 5:05 PM today (the 28th), an official at the K-55 U.S. military base in Seotan-myeon, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, reported that "it appears chemical substances have leaked from a warhead."

Pyeongtaek City sent out an emergency alert text message stating, "White phosphorus has leaked inside the U.S. military base," and urged, "Nearby residents should evacuate to a safe place to avoid skin exposure."

Police and fire authorities moved to control access around the base and manage nearby traffic in preparation for potential additional accidents.

White phosphorus is a hazardous substance that can spontaneously ignite in the air, cause severe burns upon skin contact, and damage the respiratory tract if a large amount of smoke is inhaled.

Police reportedly received an explanation from the U.S. military side stating, "About 80% of the leaked substance has been diluted, and it is currently judged that there is no danger."

Pyeongtaek City lifted the resident evacuation order after about 30 minutes, explaining that "the leaked amount was small and post-incident cleanup has been completed."

To date, no casualties have been reported resulting from the white phosphorus leak.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.