Administration under fire in wake of tepid response to anthrax delivery

Posted on : 2015-06-02 16:55 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Opposition calling for an investigation into delivery of live anthrax sample, and revision of agreement with US military
 Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi Province

The administration and ruling Saenuri Party (NFP) said they plan to wait until July to hold a joint Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) committee meeting with the US to discuss the recent delivery of live anthrax to a US military base in South Korea.

Some are now accusing them of responding weakly to an urgent issue that could put South Korean lives at risk.

The administration and Saenuri Party announced the plan after an emergency Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and anthrax countermeasures meeting at the National Assembly on June 1.

“In connection with the anthrax delivery, we have decided to examine issues in the South Korea-US SOFA management approach and procedures and discuss related issues at the time of the joint South Korea-US SOFA committee meeting scheduled for July so that all introduction of potentially hazardous materials to South Korea takes place under strict controls,” they said.

Among those attending the meeting were Saenuri policy committee chair Won Yoo-chul and vice minister of national defense Baek Seung-joo.

After the meeting, Baek delivered a report on the anthrax incident at the offices of the opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) chairman in the National Assembly to the party‘s members on the National Defense Committee.

“We need additional measures in place so that there is no repeat of anything that causes concern from the introduction of hazardous materials like anthrax without prior notification or other appropriate procedures,” Baek said in the report.

“We plan to cooperate with USFK and the relevant agencies to develop legal and institutional safeguards to prevent things like this from happening,” he added.

During the meeting, NPAD leader Moon Jae-in made calls for swift action from the administration.

“They need to take action right now by starting up the joint committee according to SOFA and setting up a joint South Korea-US investigation team to begin an investigation,” he said.

“We should also consider amending the SOFA terms so that our administration has enough information beforehand,” Moon added.

Citizens’ Alliance for Amending the Unequal South Korea-US SOFA, an organization including People‘s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and ten other groups, sent an open questionnaire on the USFK anthrax case on June 1 to USFK, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In it, the alliance urged the immediate disclosure of the circumstances behind the anthrax introduction, any anthrax currently possessed by USFK, any military exercises involving it, and the purpose of the Joint USFK Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition Program at Osan Air Base.

“The people of Osan and the rest of South Korea were completely unaware that anthrax was being brought into a USFK base up until the time of the US Defense Department’s announcement,” the alliance said.

“This anthrax episode has a direct bearing on citizen lives and safety, and the administration has an obligation to present the facts clearly and in detail before the public,” it added.

 

By Kim Ji-hoon, staff reporter

 

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

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)

Related stories

Most viewed articles