Seoul to change treaty on U.S. troops in South Korea
by Theresa Kim Hwa-young
The South Korean government wants to change SOFA, the Agreement on the Statute of the armed forces in the area. The decision arose out of two recent incidents of sexual violence, allegedly carried out by US soldiers. The treaty will not be at the center of the official summit in Washington between Obama and Lee.
Seoul (AsiaNews) - In the near future the South Korean government will amend the Seoul-Washington Treaty which governs the legal status of U.S. troops in the Peninsula. The announcement of the executive is bound to two recent reports of alleged cases of sexual violence perpetrated by U.S. soldiers against young South Koreans. Activists and ordinary citizens in recent days have repeatedly criticized the Agreement on the Status of Armed Forces (SOFA), asking for changes that will give "more control over U.S. troops involved in crimes." For this, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) will hold a short meeting with the department of Justice, also attended by law enforcement agencies and departments responsible for safety.
However MOFAT spokesman, Cho Byung-jae, has ruled out that the question of the status of U.S. troops will be discussed today during the official summit at the White House between Barack Obama and Lee Myung-bak. Meanwhile, on 11 October, a group of demonstrators staged a protest outside the American Embassy in Seoul, demanding an official apology from Obama for the rape of Korean girls and modification of the SOFA. Meanwhile more than 1,500 people among them politicians, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens have signed a letter addressed to President Lee, calling for the revision of the Treaty.
The protest was sparked two incidents that occurred recently: September 24 a U.S. soldier allegedly raped a 18 year old from Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province; in the second case, a Marine is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault - which took place September 17 – of a girl who was drunk at the time which took place in a room rented by the young.
South Korean police sources confirm that from 2007 to June 2011 at least 1,455 cases of crime see U.S. soldiers as protagonists, 30 of which are of a sexual nature. This is why the U.S. military has launched a campaign in South Korea to try to appease popular anger – which spilled over during the wave of protests in 2002, after an accident that killed two children - and to "clean up" the image of its soldiers. A senior army officer and U.S. diplomat Kurt Campbell apologized for the latest events, announcing the introduction of a curfew, which will last a month and will apply from midnight (the 3 on weekends) and 5 am .
Meanwhile, a new front of tension is emerging between the two countries, which revolves around the so-called " Itaewon murder”. In April of 1997, a Korean student - Cho Hung-pil - was stabbed to death in the toilets of a public place in Seoul. Two young men were charged over his death: American Arthur Patterson, and an American of Korean descent, Edward Lee. Patterson was arrested in June last year - after he escaped the mesh of the South Korean Justice - and a California prison is considering the request for extradition from Seoul.
However MOFAT spokesman, Cho Byung-jae, has ruled out that the question of the status of U.S. troops will be discussed today during the official summit at the White House between Barack Obama and Lee Myung-bak. Meanwhile, on 11 October, a group of demonstrators staged a protest outside the American Embassy in Seoul, demanding an official apology from Obama for the rape of Korean girls and modification of the SOFA. Meanwhile more than 1,500 people among them politicians, activists, journalists and ordinary citizens have signed a letter addressed to President Lee, calling for the revision of the Treaty.
The protest was sparked two incidents that occurred recently: September 24 a U.S. soldier allegedly raped a 18 year old from Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province; in the second case, a Marine is being investigated for an alleged sexual assault - which took place September 17 – of a girl who was drunk at the time which took place in a room rented by the young.
South Korean police sources confirm that from 2007 to June 2011 at least 1,455 cases of crime see U.S. soldiers as protagonists, 30 of which are of a sexual nature. This is why the U.S. military has launched a campaign in South Korea to try to appease popular anger – which spilled over during the wave of protests in 2002, after an accident that killed two children - and to "clean up" the image of its soldiers. A senior army officer and U.S. diplomat Kurt Campbell apologized for the latest events, announcing the introduction of a curfew, which will last a month and will apply from midnight (the 3 on weekends) and 5 am .
Meanwhile, a new front of tension is emerging between the two countries, which revolves around the so-called " Itaewon murder”. In April of 1997, a Korean student - Cho Hung-pil - was stabbed to death in the toilets of a public place in Seoul. Two young men were charged over his death: American Arthur Patterson, and an American of Korean descent, Edward Lee. Patterson was arrested in June last year - after he escaped the mesh of the South Korean Justice - and a California prison is considering the request for extradition from Seoul.
.png)
See also
Tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang rise as Cold War fears cast a shadow over Korea
12/02/2016 15:14
12/02/2016 15:14
Pope accepts the resignation of Bishop Mulakkal, the Indian prelate accused of rape by a nun
01/06/2023 16:35
01/06/2023 16:35
Lahore: 13-year-old Christian girl abducted
18/08/2022 11:12
18/08/2022 11:12
