| The Status of Forces Agreement
The Status of Forces Agreement governs the administrative affairs
of 37,000 U.S. military personnel in Korea. The agreement was first signed in
1951 during the Korean War and revised in 1967, 1991 and 2001. Many Koreans
believe the agreement is unfair to South Korea.
“The U.S. army in Korea defames our national sovereignty and
commits many crimes, but we can’t do anything about it except watch
because of the unfair accord, the Status of Forces Agreement,” UCA News
quoted Fr. Bartholomew Moon Jung-hyon as saying at a memorial Mass for the
girls killed by a U.S. armored car last June.
Criticism of the current Korea-U.S. agreement has targeted how it
handles criminal cases. The agreement gives U.S. military authorities primary
jurisdiction over crimes committed by its soldiers while on duty in South
Korea.
Activists in Korea note that a similar agreement with Japan was
substantially revised in 1995 following a U.S. soldier’s rape of a
Japanese schoolgirl in Okinawa. Korea, however, has won few concessions.
Another source of contention is whether U.S. military bases comply
with Korea’s environmental regulations. This is in sharp contrast to
Status of Forces Agreements in European countries that have strict
environmental regulations, such as cost sharing for pollution cleanup and
disclosing environmental impact information.
Activists also point out that the U.S. military does not pay rent
for many bases and facilities in Korea.
In December, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea sent
its U.S. counterpart documents outlining specific provisions and cases in the
areas of criminal jurisdiction, civil claims, labor, facilities and environment
where the agreement violates or infringes on the sovereignty of Korea. The
Korean bishops asked the U.S. bishops to support Korea’s efforts to revise
the agreement.
-- Dennis Coday
National Catholic Reporter, February 28,
2003
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