14 U.S. bases returned to S.K. still lack environmental cleanup

Posted on : 2007-04-14 14:30 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Seoul, Washington at odds over needed procedures, including soil decontamination

While the United States agreed with South Korea in July last year to return its military bases after cleaning up environmental contamination there, 14 bases were formally returned on April 13 without completion of cleanup or rehabilitation.

Accordingly, the South Korean government will use taxpayers’ money to clean up contaminated soil and other waste remaining on the grounds of the former U.S. military bases. The Ministry of Environment predicted this will cost as much as 40 billion won (US$42 million), but private environmental organizations say the budget will be in the hundreds of billions of won.

On April 13, the Ministry of Environment announced in a press statement, "Today, 14 U.S. military bases were returned to South Korea, as representatives of the two governments today signed a completion of their return at a meeting of the South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Joint Committee."

The SOFA sets regulations on all areas of operation regarding U.S. Forces Korea.

At a July 2006 SOFA meeting, South Korea and the U.S. agreed on the return of 15 U.S. military bases. The only base among them that has yet to be returned is the Kooni Range in Maehyangri, southwest of Seoul, where an environmental survey has not been completed.

Out of 59 U.S. military bases that the U.S. agreed to return to South Korea by 2011 under the Land Partnership Plan, four bases, including a helicopter landing pad in Yongsan, have already been returned prior to the most recent 14 bases. This makes a total of 18 U.S. bases so far handed back.

However, the April 13 return of the 14 U.S. bases was completed without resolving differences between South Korea and the U.S. over the cleanup of environmental contamination on the bases. Last year, the Ministry of Environment conducted an inspection of the 14 bases in question, which the U.S. military said had completed environmental cleanup, including the removal of underground oil storage tanks. But after the inspection, the ministry found that little cleanup had been made at most bases. Through the SOFA environmental committee, the ministry asked the U.S. to conduct more cleanup, but the U.S. side rejected the request.

Choi Hong-jin, South Korea’s top official on the SOFA environmental committee, said, "We made a report based on our own inspection on the 14 bases in question because the two sides failed to narrow differences regarding additional cleanup work."

Some critics accused the South Korean government of receiving the 14 bases from the U.S. without taking into account the difference in opinion between the two nations on necessary cleanup. Thus, the base handover is expected to pose a negative impact on future negotiations about the return of U.S. bases as well as environmental cleanup procedures at these sites.

KoLee Ji-seon, an official at environmental group Green Korea, said, "The return ignored SOFA procedures. We will take action to make accountable the government officials that agreed with the return," she said.

About 29,000 U.S. troops currently remain stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. This number is slated to be reduced to 25,000 by 2008.

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