ID :
187647
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 07:29
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/187647
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea to probe another claim of Agent Orange burial at ex-U.S. base
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry said Friday it will soon investigate another allegation that the U.S. military buried a highly toxic defoliant Agent Orange at one of its former bases in the South, amid growing concerns over possible environmental contamination by U.S. troops here.
Since mid-May, South Korea and the U.S. have launched a joint probe into a U.S. military base in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where some retired American soldiers claimed that they had helped bury drums of leftover Agent Orange there in 1978.
The claims of Agent Orange being buried at Camp Carroll have sparked a series of allegations by former U.S. soldiers and local residents that the U.S. military dumped other chemicals at its former or current military bases in South Korea.
Last week, some retired American soldiers raised a second allegation that Agent Orange was buried at an ex-U.S. base called Camp Page in Chuncheon, 85 km east of Seoul. Camp Page was turned over to South Korea in 2005.
"We will open a further investigation on a suspicion that the defoliant was buried at Camp Page in Chuncheon," Vice Defense Minister Lee Yong-gul told reporters.
"After reviewing other allegations that Agent Orange was buried at other ex-U.S. military bases, we will consider expanding our investigation if necessary."
Ministry officials said the investigation at Camp Page would soon start as early as next week.
The defense ministry has surveyed 85 former U.S. installations that were turned over to South Korea before 2003 as part of the relocation of U.S. bases.
No evidence backing the allegations has been found yet.
Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant widely used during the Vietnam War, was sprayed by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in the 1960s around the Demilitarized Zone to thwart North Korean infiltrations.
Contaminated by dioxin, the defoliant is suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, among some people, as well as birth defects in their children.
About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are based in South Korea under a mutual defense treaty pact signed during the 1950-1953 Korean War.
(END)
Since mid-May, South Korea and the U.S. have launched a joint probe into a U.S. military base in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where some retired American soldiers claimed that they had helped bury drums of leftover Agent Orange there in 1978.
The claims of Agent Orange being buried at Camp Carroll have sparked a series of allegations by former U.S. soldiers and local residents that the U.S. military dumped other chemicals at its former or current military bases in South Korea.
Last week, some retired American soldiers raised a second allegation that Agent Orange was buried at an ex-U.S. base called Camp Page in Chuncheon, 85 km east of Seoul. Camp Page was turned over to South Korea in 2005.
"We will open a further investigation on a suspicion that the defoliant was buried at Camp Page in Chuncheon," Vice Defense Minister Lee Yong-gul told reporters.
"After reviewing other allegations that Agent Orange was buried at other ex-U.S. military bases, we will consider expanding our investigation if necessary."
Ministry officials said the investigation at Camp Page would soon start as early as next week.
The defense ministry has surveyed 85 former U.S. installations that were turned over to South Korea before 2003 as part of the relocation of U.S. bases.
No evidence backing the allegations has been found yet.
Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant widely used during the Vietnam War, was sprayed by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in the 1960s around the Demilitarized Zone to thwart North Korean infiltrations.
Contaminated by dioxin, the defoliant is suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, among some people, as well as birth defects in their children.
About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are based in South Korea under a mutual defense treaty pact signed during the 1950-1953 Korean War.
(END)
