ROK Lawmaker Wants US-ROK SOFA Revised to Make USFK Report All Military Training Activities
Here is the latest SOFA complaint:
The sound of multiple gunshots from a supply depot of the U.S. Forces Korea resounded through part of the southeastern city of Busan every evening for three days from June 20 to 22.
Residents, petrified by the unexpected noise, made frantic calls to the police to figure out what was going on, but to no avail as the police had no idea either.
Only later did the police figure out the USFK had been firing blanks with automatic firearms during a defense drill.
At the same time, residents near a forest in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, had to endure the sounds of flyovers, takeoffs and landings of army helicopters for a while.
The drill, later reported to be by the USFK, continued two to three times a week for over a year from early 2016.
Faced with complaints from nearby residents, the defense ministry checked with the USFK which said it had reached a verbal agreement on helicopter drills with the local government.
South Chungcheong provincial government and Dangjin municipal government, however, denied making any such agreement.
With concerns over unannounced drills growing among citizens, Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the minor opposition Justice Party called for a revision of the rules on USFK operations.
The Korea-U.S. joint committee on the State of Forces Agreement (SOFA) came up with preventive measures to secure the safety of citizens regarding USFK operations in 2003.
The move followed the Yangju Highway Incident in which two schoolgirls were crushed to death by an American tracked vehicle in 2002.
According to the 2003 agreement, the USFK has to report its drills beforehand to the South Korean army and local governments.
However, the regulation is applied only limitedly in northern Gyeonggi Province, excluding other regions in the country from getting prior notification.
“If it had been applied to the entire country from the beginning, all parties — the defense ministry, local governments, police, and local people — would have not had to suffer,” Kim said. [Korea Times]
You can read the rest at the link, but it will interesting to see what the USFK response is because there must be a reason why the whole country was not included in the revision in 2003 and the ROK government agreed to it.
Further Reading:
https://www.rokdrop.net/2008/02/gi-myths-the-unfair-us-rok-sofa-agreement/
Well, there is a different sound of gunfire ROK residents might have to get used to hearing, if they keep playing these games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIv_RrgCfWs
They don’t want to have to deal with noise from drills? Easy, sign a peace treaty with the DPRK, invade it, or surrender to it. Can’t live next to your enemy without living with drills. :hmm:
“USFK which said it had reached a verbal agreement”
Ha! USFK’s bad on that, hard enough to get a Korean to stick to a written agreement and you’re doing verbals? 😆
“Yangju Highway Incident”
F the Korea Times. F them for pulling a Hankyoreh and linking to that. F them for using the word incident rather than accident. ❗
“not had to suffer”
Ugh STFU Mr. Kim. Just pour the formaldehyde down the drain already…
Smokes, there is a category of people who, like Daniel Perl, are astonished when they meet people actually willing to cut off their under-utilized noggins. They “don’t believe in evil” up until the point of the knife enters their throats.
In America, we call them “Democrats”.
(Note: the political label they apply to themselves is normally disregarded when they self-identify.)
“ROK LAWMAKER WANTS US-ROK SOFA REVISED TO MAKE USFK REPORT ALL MILITARY TRAINING ACTIVITIES”
Quick! Get Kim Jong-dae on the line!
Today’s training:
Don’t ŕape women
Homosexuals are people
Drinking is bad
Stop shaking the baby