Defense ministry not to expand clean-up project at Incheon USFK base
A park near Camp Market, a contaminated U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) base in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, is seen in this April 2012 file photo. Some areas outside of Camp Market have also been found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals including dioxin which can cause cancer. Yonhap
By Jung Da-min
An ongoing clean-up project for Camp Market, a contaminated U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) base in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, “cannot be expanded” to other areas outside the base despite Bupyeong-gu Office's call for this, the Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.
Bupyeong-gu Office had earlier sent an official document to the ministry, requesting a “simultaneous clean-up” of other areas near the former military compound where some carcinogens have been detected. It said the costs for the clean-up will be greatly reduced if the ongoing clean-up inside the former U.S. base site is expanded to include the surrounding area.
But the defense ministry said the request was not acceptable due to a relevant law.
“In principle, Parcel B (an outside area) of Camp Market can be clarified after the return of the base is completed and it should be reviewed later to discern who is responsible for the contamination and the clean-up of the base's surroundings,” the ministry said in a statement.
In May, the ministry initiated the clean-up project for Parcel A of Camp Market, which includes a portion of the land inside the base, launching a consortium aiming to complete the process by 2022.
This came after Seoul and Washington agreed to make an exemption from their Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) which states the clean-up of the base comes only after the return process is completed.
In October 2017, on-site surveys by the Ministry of Environment showed the presence of highly toxic chemicals, including dioxins, benzene and PCBs, at all 33 survey sites in areas used for the USFK's Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) inside the Camp Market site.
As the toxic chemicals were found in soil and water near the base, Incheon Metropolitan Government is expected to come up with clean-up plans. Local government officials said that they will push forward with the request for the defense ministry to also take care of nearby areas through various channels including the Camp Market civilian-government committee launched last October.
Camp Market was included in the list of the 26 USFK bases of which Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Council (NSC) called for an early return at a meeting on Aug. 30. The NSC focused on the delayed return of four bases including Camp Market in Incheon, Camp Long and Camp Eagle in Wonju, Gangwon Province, and Camp Hovey in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province.