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The new US Eighth Army Command headquarters

The US Eighth Army Command, which commands ground forces for US Forces Korea, began full-scale efforts on Apr. 25 for relocation from Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to the base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

The Eighth Army Command announced its relocation to Pyeongtaek with a commemoration ceremony held by Commanding General Thomas Vandal that morning for the relocation of a statue of General Walton H. Walker. The statue of Walker, who was Eighth Army Commanding General during the Korean War, is being relocated to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek.

USFK has been relocating a portion of its companies and battalions to Pyeongtaek since 2013. The Eighth Army Command began its effort with the May 16 relocation of an advance party of around 300 troops. The Apr. 25 ceremony made the relocation of the main force official, with a planned completion by June. The USFK Command also plans to finish its relocation by around November.

According to the Ministry of National Defense’s USFK base relocation project team, the relocation project had made 94% progress as of last month. Both South Korea and the US plan to complete the relocation of US units by the end of the year. In terms of the cost distribution - which had been the subject of some controversy - South Korea plans to pay 9 trillion won (US$8 billion) and the US around 7 trillion won (US$6.2 billion).

The beginnings of the USFK relocation can be traced back to a pledge made by then-presidential candidate Roh Tae-woo in 1987 (president from 1988-1993). A basic agreement for the relocation of Yongsan Garrison was signed in June 1990, but the plan ended up delayed over costs and other issues. The effort resumed in earnest after Roh Moo-hyun and US President George W. Bush reached an Apr. 2003 agreement to hasten the process.

The Yongsan Garrison site is to be returned to the South Korean government once the relocation is complete. Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced plans to turn the space into a park, but civic groups announced early this month that 84 cases of oil leaking had taken place in the garrison site between 1990 and 2015, and concentrations of the Class 1 carcinogen benzene have been found exceeding standard levels. Cleanup efforts for the base are expected to be a matter of controversy going ahead.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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