South Korea and the U.S. Agree on Return of 12 U.S. Military Bases Nationwide... Full-Scale Start of Yongsan Base Return

Yongsan South Post Returns Two Sites Including 'Sports Field Site' and 'Softball Stadium Site'
Six Bases in Seoul Returned... Including Far East Engineer Group Site and Camp Kim Site
Agreed to Develop Pollution Management Standards, Establish Joint Pollution Investigation Procedures, and Improve Reporting and Joint Investigation Procedures for Environmental Accidents

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 11th, the government announced that it held the 201st Joint Committee of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States via video conference and agreed to receive the return of 11 U.S. military bases and 2 zones within Yongsan Garrison.

Both South Korea and the U.S. agreed to the return of 12 bases on the condition of continuing discussions on responsibilities for contamination cleanup, strengthening environmental management measures for bases currently used by U.S. forces in Korea, and the possibility of revising SOFA-related documents proposed by Korea. Additionally, both sides agreed to jointly review and improve contamination management standards, establish procedures for joint contamination investigations during peacetime, and reporting and joint investigation procedures in case of environmental accidents through the SOFA Environmental Subcommittee.

The bases agreed for return at the SOFA Joint Committee are those for which local governments and residents in areas such as Dongducheon, Uijeongbu, and Daegu have strongly demanded prompt return for regional development.

The Far East Engineer Group site is being considered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Seoul City for relocating the National Medical Center to establish a ‘Central Infectious Disease Specialized Hospital’ to respond to new infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and public housing construction is being considered on the Camp Kim site to address housing issues in the metropolitan area.

The government announced in April, after discussions at the National Security Council (NSC) Standing Committee, that it would actively promote the return procedures for U.S. military bases this year, including part of Yongsan Garrison, considering the social and economic problems caused by delays in base returns and the continuous requests for prompt return from local communities.

Accordingly, under the leadership of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, related ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Environment participated in discussions and coordinated positions on various ways to receive the bases, and negotiations have been conducted mainly through the SOFA channel with the U.S. side.

Despite various difficult circumstances caused by COVID-19, South Korea and the U.S. have faithfully proceeded with base return procedures including environmental investigations through close partnership. In particular, both sides conducted extensive consultations to reach mutually acceptable agreements and agreed on the return of 12 bases, recognizing that if the return is delayed, the economic and social difficulties faced by communities around the bases would worsen, and therefore the return procedures should be expedited.

A government official explained, "At the 201st SOFA Joint Committee held today, both sides agreed to manage and resolve various SOFA issues including base return based on mutual trust, respect, and cooperation between the allies, thereby contributing to the Korea-U.S. alliance," adding, "Our government plans to continue consultations with the U.S. side to achieve more advanced outcomes."

Furthermore, Yongsan Garrison is a large base currently used by U.S. forces, and if the entire base is closed and returned at once, it may take a long time. Therefore, the government has been negotiating with the U.S. side to return zones sequentially according to the situation and conditions of each zone within the base. Accordingly, two zones?the sports field and the softball stadium site?will be returned first. The returned sites will be used after necessary security and other measures are completed.

A government official stated, "The government will continue to negotiate with the U.S. side for the sequential return of zones within Yongsan Garrison to ensure that the Yongsan Park development plan proceeds without disruption," and added, "The government will thoroughly and cleanly decontaminate the returned U.S. military bases so that the public can use them with confidence."

He further added, "Including Yongsan Garrison, the bases subject to return will be promoted for return at an appropriate time, comprehensively considering the progress of base relocation and environmental consultations with the U.S. side, as well as local governments’ regional development plans."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.