Evidence of a cover-up in case of anthrax sample at US military base in S. Korea

Posted on : 2015-05-30 13:41 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
USFK claiming that anthrax test was the first, but anthrax testing in S. Korea has been going on for 17 years
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US Forces Korea (USFK) tried to restore calm by claiming that the anthrax experiment connected with the accidental delivery of live anthrax was taking place “for the first time.” But with evidence surfacing that US forces have been operating an anthrax laboratory in South Korea for more than 17 years, there is criticism that the US was trying to sweep the incident under the rug.

When South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affiliated with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, announced the results of their investigation into the accident on May 29, they said that the anthrax samples in question had been brought to Osan Air Force Base four weeks earlier.

The samples were supposed to be used to demonstrate new equipment for DNA analysis of polymerase chain reactions (PCR, a technology used to increase the volume of DNA samples) at an event for related organizations that was scheduled for June 5 as part of the US army’s Integrated Threat Recognition Program (ITRP).

Delivered to Osan by FedEx, the anthrax sample consisted of spores contained in 1 ml of liquid that had been frozen and triple wrapped. The anthrax sample was kept frozen until May 21, when it was thawed in preparation for inserting it in the PCR equipment.

On May 27, USFK was notified by the Pentagon of the possibility of live anthrax samples. At this point, an emergency response team was dispatched to destroy the sample by placing it in a bleaching agent. All of the surfaces in the laboratory were wiped down with disinfectant, and 24 hours later no traces of anthrax were detected in the air inside.

In a press release issued on May 29, the USFK said that the experimental drill for defense against chemical and biological agents had never taken place before and that the drill had been suspended pending additional investigation.

However, the US military had already been operating the anthrax laboratory for 17 years, and live samples of anthrax had reportedly been delivered to the Osan Air Force Base in South Korea over the past year. This evidence suggests that anthrax experiments had been taking place, even if they were not identical to the one involved in this accident.

According to a number of military experts interviewed on May 29, the US set up the anthrax laboratory at Osan (the first US military base anywhere in the world to have such a laboratory) in Sep. 1998 and supplied it with large amounts of vaccines.

Quoting a Pentagon official, US broadcaster ABC reported that the chemical and biological weapons laboratory at Dugway, Utah that mistakenly prepared the live anthrax sample had been sending anthrax to one US military base in South Korea and 18 private and university laboratories in nine states in the US for twelve months starting in March 2014.

“I’m not exactly sure when it began, but we were also aware that the US was bringing in inactive anthrax for use in drills,” said an official with South Korea’s Defense Ministry. This indicates that the USFK had been carrying out experimental drills using anthrax even before this accident occurred.

ABC also reported that a private laboratory in Maryland discovered that the anthrax was alive on May 22 and reported this to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Civic groups demanded an explanation of why the US Defense Department did not immediately notify US Forces Korea and South Korea after it learned about the dangerous materials instead of letting five days pass before doing so.

On May 29, the AP, AFP and other media outlets quoted an official from the US Department of Defense who confirmed that another live anthrax sample was sent to Australia in 2008. The fact was found during an investigation into US handling of anthrax samples. It is not yet known if samples had been sent to countries other than Australia.

By Kim Ji-hoon, staff reporter and Park Hyun, Washington correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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