Seoul-USFK’s
Lukewarm Attitude toward
SOFA Revision Evokes Public Anger
Anti-American
movements are growing stronger and becoming more widespread in south Korea,
ahead of an historic inter-Korean summit set for June 12-14. Daily and
increasingly vociferous demonstrations of south Koreans in front of the U.S.
embassy in Seoul and at U.S. military bases have alarmed the Seoul authorities
and U.S. Forces in south Korea. The resurgence of anti-U.S. sentiment largely
focuses on U.S. military presence in the south.
After
an AP report on the revelation of U.S. troops’ massacre of civilians at
Rogun-ri during the Korean War, their hidden war crimes in the war were newly
brought to light by media both at home and abroad, quoting survivors’
testimonies and declassified documents. Several hair-raising incidents involving
U.S. forces have recently occurred one after another in the south.
Encouraged
by progressive groups’ strong anti-U.S. campaigns, anti-USFK sentiment are
heightening even among ordinary people, and public opinion in support of their
campaigns is rising. With the first-ever inter-Korean highest-level talks near
at hand, pro-democracy and reunification forces are bringing up issues to the
fore related to the withdrawal of the USFK as a major obstacle in the
reunification of the Korean Peninsula. While the south Korean authorities and
USFK officials, who were caught in a dilemma, refer to various things to justify
the “necessity of U.S. forces’ staying in the south,” their lame excuses
are becoming the focus of public censure. Their lukewarm attitude toward
fundamental resolution of these problems also adds fuel to the growing anti-U.S.
movement in south Korea.
Growing
Anti-U.S. Campaigns
About
200 officials from universities, labor and civic groups issued a declaration on
May 25, which called for an early resolution of problems related to U.S.
military bases in south Korea.
In
the declaration, they demanded that the U.S. government apologize for crimes
involving GIs, thoroughly investigate the massacres of Koreans during the Korean
War and offer compensation. They also called for an immediate closure of the
Koon-ni bombing range in Maehyang-ri, Kyonggi Province and revision of the
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the U.S. and south Korea.
The
200 figures who signed the declaration included former Deputy Prime Minister Han
Wan Sang; Kang Man Gil, professor emeritus at Korea University; Kim Jong Bae,
co-leader of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) and
Dang Byong Ho, chief of the south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
Meanwhile,
the Ministry of National Defense of south Korea on May 25 contended that they
could not consider withdrawal of the U.S. forces from the south, and that they
would “continue to develop south Korea’s alliance with the U.S. in the
future,too”pointing to inter-Korean confrontation situation.
In
answer to a nine-point open questionnaire on the USFK put by the “Citizens’
Network for the Peace of the Korean Peninsula” in late March, the ministry
totally denied a possibility and necessity of the withdrawal of the U.S. force
from the south.
Bombing
Range Area Seriously Polluted
With Heavy Metals
According
to reports by a Seoul-based news agency, the area of Maehyang-ri, where there is
a firing range of the U.S. forces, is seriously contaminated with heavy metals
such as lead chrome and copper.
The
south Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, a leading civic
environmental group, said that it detected a maximum 1,184.828 mg/kg of lead in
soil samples taken from the Koon-ri firing range. Reportedly, the figure is
about 34 times higher than an average lead concentration at factory sites and
also much higher than an allowable concentration for farmland.
It
stated that the joint investigation made so far by south Korean authorities and
the USFK left many things untouched and that a reinvestigation based on a
detailed analysis of contamination of the land and sea area is necessary.
The
federation also asked the authorities to set up a joint government and civilian
investigation team to accurately assess human and property damage in the area
resulting from a U.S. A-10 fighter’s release of six bombs at the range on May
8.
No
Evidence of Serious Damage from May 8 Bombing: Investigation Team
Maehyang-ri
Residents’ Anger Mounting
The
May 8 bombing by a U.S. fighter at the Koon-ri range caused no injuries or
damage to villagers living near the firing range and their houses, a south
Korea-U.S. investigation team announced on May 31.
An
official of the Defense Ministry said in a press conference on the team’s
10-day probe that there were no human casualties or loss of property or
livestock damage arising from the bomb release on May 8.
The
U.S. Air Force resumed its bombing exercise at the Koon-ni range on Jun. 2.
Angered
by the announcement, villagers and civic group members held a joint
demonstration on Jun. 1 at Maehyang-ri in Hwasong County, Kyonggi Province.
Villagers said they cannot accept the results of the investigation, arguing that
they cannot trust the announcement. Although the joint investigation team said
no serious damage was reported, residents at the west coast village of
Maehyang-ri immediately reacted with anger, threatening to occupy the firing
range. They said serious damage had been sustained by them for 50 years, caused
not by a single bombing exercise on May 8 and added that the announcement of the
investigation results can never be accepted.
Faced
with strong opposition by residents and civic groups, the USFK announced that it
would again suspend its bombing exercise at the range until June 14.
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