[CPEO-MEF] Korean editorial on U.S. bases

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Return of U.S. bases

Editorial
Korea Herald
March 24, 2006	

Negotiations are dragging on between the government and the U.S. Forces 
Korea over cleaning up contaminated land in U.S. bases that will be 
returned to Korean ownership. Through an initial survey by Korean 
experts last year, the Environment Ministry discovered that many of the 
U.S. bases were seriously polluted by the residues of fuel oil and other 
chemicals. The cost for their "restoration work" was estimated at a 
maximum of 500 billion won or about $500 million, a surprisingly large 
figure which drew public attention to the problem of where the money 
should come from.

USFK authorities have so far expressed willingness to remove only the 
fuel tanks from inside the bases concerned, which would cost them some 
$2 million. They would not accept responsibility for any alleged 
contamination beyond the criteria of "known, imminent and substantial 
endangerment" to human health as defined in a memorandum under the 
Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. U.S. officers are known to be 
complaining that Korea is setting too high an environmental standard for 
the U.S. bases.

...

For the entire editorial, see
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/03/22/200603220038.asp

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org

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