<Anchor> The
government has agreed with the US to take back 12 USFK bases.
Part of the Yongsan base was also included in the refund for the first time.
This is reporter Hak-Hwi Kim.
<Reporter> On the
morning of today (11th), the government agreed to open a joint committee of the USFK Status Agreement with the United States on a video screen to take back 12 US military bases nationwide.
In Seoul, six bases, including the Far East Engineering Corps in Jung-gu and Camp Kim in Yongsan-gu, were returned, including some of the Yongsan base for the first time.
Two sites are eligible for return, including the sports field site and the softball stadium site in the southern area of the Yongsan base.
The government plan to build a national park in Yongsan is also expected to gain momentum.
The government explained that it would take a long time to return the entire Yongsan base at one time, so it was planned to be returned to each district in turn.
Construction of a central hospital specializing in infectious diseases is under consideration on the site of the Far East Engineering Corps, and construction of public housing on the site of Camp Kim in Yongsan is under consideration.
In Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam Golf Course, Camp Jackson in Uijeongbu, and part of Camp Mobile Base in Dongducheon were included, and some of the camp Walker heliport in Daegu, the Marine Pohang Dispatch and Taebaek’s ultimate shooting range were also decided to be returned.
The difference in positions between the ROK and the United States over who will pay for the cleanup of the contaminated base was an obstacle to the return, but the government decided to get the base back and continue consultations with the US.
This is because pollution purification costs increase as time goes by, and the social costs of delayed development are also insignificant.
Today, 12 of the 80 US military bases that are subject to return due to an agreement between the two sides of the ROK and the United States remain.