By Jung Min-ho
Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) inspectors will soon find out whether underground water around U.S. Army bases in Yongsan is polluted with oil ― and if it is, ascertain the seriousness of the situation.
The city government said Monday it would ask a joint investigation committee of Korea and the United States for permission to take water samples from Yongsan Garrison and Camp Kim next month.
Since SMG started looking into 32 sites within the restricted areas on Jan. 9, they have found that eight of them meet conditions for sampling because their underground water level is 45 meters or deeper, an official said.
SMG suspects the U.S. military camps are the source of oil that has polluted at least 12,000 square meters of land and more than 7 million liters of underground water since 2001 when an oil spill was reported.
But it took 13 years for the SMG to investigate because the United States Forces Korea (USFK) refused to cooperate. The Korean government can investigate USFK bases only if permission is granted under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
Once samples reveal potentially more specific problems, the SMG will start clean-up measures in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the USFK.
"The investigation has been going smoothly," the SMG official said. "We planned to ask the joint investigation committee for permission last month, but it was delayed. Apart from this, everything is fine."
He said investigators will also look into the risk of the suspected pollution spreading and suggest preventive measures.
After oil-contaminated water was found around Noksapyeong Station near the camp, the USFK said after its own investigation that an old underground oil tank had cracked.
But the USFK refused to give SMG investigators permission to enter the camp.
In 2011, the SMG said it had extracted 568 liters of floating oil and 1,970 tons of polluted underground water near the station. The water contained harmful chemicals including benzene, toluene and xylene.
The revelation came amid growing public anxiety over allegations that the U.S. Army buried toxic defoliant in Camp Carroll in North Gyeongsang Province in the 1970s.
Under growing pressure, the USFK decided in December to accept the SMG's request to form a joint investigation committee.
In 2009, the SMG also won a lawsuit against the Korean government, demanding that it pay 2.2 billion won ($2 million) for the cleanup around the station between 2001 and 2008.
Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) inspectors will soon find out whether underground water around U.S. Army bases in Yongsan is polluted with oil ― and if it is, ascertain the seriousness of the situation.
The city government said Monday it would ask a joint investigation committee of Korea and the United States for permission to take water samples from Yongsan Garrison and Camp Kim next month.
Since SMG started looking into 32 sites within the restricted areas on Jan. 9, they have found that eight of them meet conditions for sampling because their underground water level is 45 meters or deeper, an official said.
SMG suspects the U.S. military camps are the source of oil that has polluted at least 12,000 square meters of land and more than 7 million liters of underground water since 2001 when an oil spill was reported.
But it took 13 years for the SMG to investigate because the United States Forces Korea (USFK) refused to cooperate. The Korean government can investigate USFK bases only if permission is granted under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
Once samples reveal potentially more specific problems, the SMG will start clean-up measures in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and the USFK.
"The investigation has been going smoothly," the SMG official said. "We planned to ask the joint investigation committee for permission last month, but it was delayed. Apart from this, everything is fine."
He said investigators will also look into the risk of the suspected pollution spreading and suggest preventive measures.
After oil-contaminated water was found around Noksapyeong Station near the camp, the USFK said after its own investigation that an old underground oil tank had cracked.
But the USFK refused to give SMG investigators permission to enter the camp.
In 2011, the SMG said it had extracted 568 liters of floating oil and 1,970 tons of polluted underground water near the station. The water contained harmful chemicals including benzene, toluene and xylene.
The revelation came amid growing public anxiety over allegations that the U.S. Army buried toxic defoliant in Camp Carroll in North Gyeongsang Province in the 1970s.
Under growing pressure, the USFK decided in December to accept the SMG's request to form a joint investigation committee.
In 2009, the SMG also won a lawsuit against the Korean government, demanding that it pay 2.2 billion won ($2 million) for the cleanup around the station between 2001 and 2008.
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