By ALEJANDRO CARRASQUEL and YOOJIN LEE STARS AND STRIPES
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Infectious-disease screening is returning for U.S. troops arriving on the Korean Peninsula, reviving a system suspended after the COVID-19 pandemic
U.S. Forces Korea and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency signed an agreement Aug. 13 to resume screenings at seven U.S. military-related locations and provide testing, isolation and quarantine when necessary, USFK announced in a news release that day
The agreement applies to passengers arriving aboard U.S. military and military-contracted aircraft but not Defense Department personnel traveling on commercial flights
“There wasn’t a specific event that prompted this,” KDCA spokesman Jae-young Ko told Stars and Stripes in a text message Thursday. “The cooperation had been suspended since COVID-19 and we are now resuming it. This will strengthen information sharing and our joint response to infectious disease threats.”
The two sides have not announced when screening will begin and are still working out how the procedures will be carried out, Ko said
The seven locations are Osan Air Base, Camp Humphreys and airports at Kunsan, Daegu, Gimhae, Gwangju and Suwon, USFK said
Under the agreement, the command will screen arriving passengers and provide testing, isolation and treatment when necessary, along with contract tracing and disinfection of aircraft and vehicles
“Confirmed cases of designated quarantine infectious diseases will be reported to KDCA immediately,” the USFK news release said
However, neither USFK nor KDCA has detailed what arriving troops should expect once the screening program begins
The agencies have not said whether all arriving passengers will be actively screened or whether travelers will be expected to report symptoms themselves
They also have not specified whether screening will include temperature checks, questionnaires, travel-history reviews, visual assessments or other measures
<img src="https://healthylife7.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/010926SK-SCREENINGSphoto01.jpg” alt=”Col. Eric Swanson, U.S. Forces Korea command surgeon and chairman of the KDCA/SOFA Subcommittee, poses with a Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official after signing a memorandum on disease screenings in Osong, South Korea, Aug. 13, 2026.”>
Col. Eric Swanson, U.S. Forces Korea command surgeon and chairman of the KDCA/SOFA Subcommittee, poses with a Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official after signing a memorandum on disease screenings in Osong, South Korea, Aug. 13, 2026. (Jee Yeon Kim/U.S. Forces Korea)
“We are currently coordinating the implementation details with USFK,” Ko said
USFK spokesman David Kim on Thursday referred questions about the agreement to the command’s Aug. 13 news release
Health screening were last imposed on military arrivals during the COVID-19 pandemic
In June 2020, for example, those arriving at Osan were questioned about symptoms and recent contacts, and all inbound personnel were tested within two hours of arrival
USFK gradually eliminated those requirements as South Korea relaxed its pandemic restrictions in 2022
The renewed agreement was established through the U.S.-South Korea status of forces agreement
The Korean agency said the agreement was reached through the U.S.-South Korea status of forces agreement. SOFA covers the rights and responsibilities of individuals in South Korea with the U.S. military
The agreement requires both governments to coordinate disease prevention, public health, medical, sanitation and veterinary matters through the SOFA Joint Committee
Those categories include dozens of illnesses, ranging from Ebola, MERS and plague to measles, tuberculosis, malaria and dengue
