US military secretly stored nuclear arms in Korea

The U.S. military stationed in Korea has acknowledged that it had deployed nuclear weapons in several sites around the country until 1991, according to reports.

It was revealed in 2005 that nuclear weapons had been located in military bases such as Camp Ames in Daejeon and Camp Page in Chuncheon.

Six locations were confirmed to have concealed nuclear weapons, and 10 more sites are under review. The U.S. military also revealed that special Nuclear Weapon Accident Response Units had also been stationed in Korea until 1987 as a measure against possible nuclear disaster.

In 2005, the Ministries of Environment and National Defense conducted an environmental analysis of Camp Page after the United States turned over control of the base to South Korea. One of the tests conducted was a radioactivity test, although it is unknown whether the Korean government had been warned by the United States that nuclear weapons had been stored there.

Although the test returned with normal results, local residents are still protesting the fact that the truth was only revealed to them decades later. “Another objective review is required to quell the citizens’ concerns,” Yoo Seung-chul, the executive director of the Chuncheon Green Alliance, said.

He also asked an alliance with residents from other affected areas to propose another contamination test in the areas where nuclear weapons had been stored in the past.

미군기지 핵무기 은폐 들통…"방사능 오염 조사해야"

지난 91년까지 주한 미군기지에는 핵무기가 '은밀히' 배치돼 왔었다.

춘천 캠프 페이지, 용산 미군기지, 도봉산 무기저장고, 오산공군기지, 대전 캠프 에임스, 군산 공군기지 등에 핵무기가 배치돼 왔던 사실이 국회를 통해 2005년 뒤늦게 들통난 바 있다.

확인된 기지만 6개이고 10개 기지에 핵무기가 더 배치됐다는 의혹이 뒤따랐다.

특히 미군은 14곳의 주한미군기지에서 '핵무기사고대응부대(Nuclear Weapon Accident Response Units)'를 운용한 사실도 지난 87년 공개된 미 국방부 자료를 통해 확인되기도 했다.

미군이 한국에서 핵무기를 운용하면서 발생할 수도 있는 사고 발생 가능성에 대해서까지 대비했음을 보여주는 증거다.