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Members of civic groups hold a press conference in front of the Yongsan US military base in Seoul

A South Korean court has ordered the Ministry of Environment to release the results of the second and third rounds of an environmental assessment of the Yongsan Garrison, a US military base in Seoul. The results of the first round of the environmental assessment, which were made public following a decision by the Supreme Court in April, showed that levels of benzene, a class-one carcinogen, in the groundwater at the Yongsan Garrison were as much as 162 higher than the standard level.

The 13th division of the Seoul Administrative Court (presided over by Hon. Yun Jin-hyeon) announced on June 4 that it had sided with the plaintiffs in a freedom of information lawsuit filed by MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society asking the court to force the Minister of Environment to release information about the second and third rounds of the environmental assessment at the Yongsan Garrison. The Ministry carried out three rounds of an environmental study of groundwater in the Yongsan Garrison, in May 2015, in Jan. and Feb. 2016, and in Aug. 2016. MINBYUN asked the Ministry to release the results of the three rounds of the environmental assessment, but the Ministry informed MINBYUN that it had decided not to release that information, citing a clause in the Official Information Disclosure Act about information that may not be disclosed. “Since this information pertains to national security, national defense, unification and foreign relations, among other matters, there are concerns that disclosing it would cause definite harm to vital national interests,” the Ministry said.

But the Supreme Court confirmed on Apr. 13 that the results of the first round of the environmental assessment must be released, and the Seoul Administration Court ruled on June 4 that the results of the second and third rounds must be released as well. “While the case does pertain to foreign relations, there is also a major need to guarantee the people’s right to know considering that the Yongsan Garrison is suspected of being a source of pollution for groundwater in the area. Not releasing the information about this case could also provoke distrust of US Forces Korea, creating unnecessary diplomatic friction between the two countries,” the court ruled. Considering that the Ministry of Environment appealed rulings by the lower court and an appeals court ordering it to release the findings of the first round of the environmental assessment, the next question is how the Ministry will respond to this decision.

By Kim Min-kyung, staff reporter

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