The U.S. military is refusing to clean up pollution at bases set to be closed in South Korea, the country's Defense Ministry said Tuesday/
SEOUL, Korea — The U.S. military is refusing to clean up pollution at bases set to be closed in South Korea, the country's Defense Ministry said Tuesday, in a dispute stalling Washington's handover of the land back to South Korean control.
The United States plans to close 34 of its 41 bases across South Korea and return the land to South Korean control by 2011 under a base consolidation plan.
After environmental surveys, South Korea found most of the bases to be returned were contaminated and demanded that the polluted land be restored, the ministry said. It didn't disclose details of the contamination because negotiations were continuing.
However, the U.S. military is refusing to accept the conclusion, citing a different environmental pollution standard, according to the ministry.
U.S. military bases have been a target of criticism from local environmental activists who often claim oil leaks contaminate land and groundwater.
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The dispute is stalling the base handover process. Eleven bases had been set to be handed back to South Korea by the end of last year, but their return is being delayed over the pollution issue, the ministry said.
The U.S. military declined to comment, with U.S. military spokesman David Oten saying the matter was subject to negotiations between the sides. "It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the specific issues being discussed while these negotiations are ongoing," he said.
In 2000, the U.S. military apologized after admitting a one-time release of 20 gallons (75.7 liters) of the hazardous chemical formaldehyde into a drain that leads to the Han River, a main source of drinking water for Seoul's 12 million people.
About 32,500 U.S. troops are now deployed in South Korea. The U.S. plans to reduce the troops to 24,500 by 2008.
The two Koreas are still in a state of conflict as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Source: Associated Press
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