By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Tuesday that it will return an underground command bunker to South Korea at no cost under the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
The response came after The Korea Time reported Monday that the USFK was seeking to sell the “CP TANGO” facility on the outskirts of Seoul to South Korea, when its troops move to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in coming years.
As for the proposal by USFK Commander Gen. Walter Sharp, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense made it clear that it would not buy the bunker.
“Under the Status of Forces Agreement, the Republic of Korea grants land and facilities to USFK,” the USFK said in a news release.
“The USFK will return SOFA granted land and facilities back to the ROK government when we are done using it for mutual defense,” it said.
The statement, however, failed to elaborate whether or not key communication and computer systems will be kept intact when the relocation is made.
A USFK official reconfirmed that the bunker will be given to South Korea free of charge when the relocation of U.S. bases is implemented, though the exact timeframe of the base move has yet to be fixed.
CP TANGO is the main command and control center from which U.S. military leaders would direct any combat against North Korea.
The granite bunker is reputed to be able to withstand even a nuclear blast as well as survive any biological and chemical attack. The center, built on about 30,000 square meters of land, has a war room where top military commanders can receive battlefield situations around the clock and hold video teleconferences.