ID :
24886
Thu, 10/16/2008 - 17:58
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/24886
The shortlink copeid
U.S. military denies compensation for residents suffering from excess noise
By Kim Boram
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military has refused to pay 12.3 billion won (US$9 million) in court-ordered compensation for Korean rural residents suffering side effects from the noise caused by firearms and jets on its bases, government data showed Thursday.
The Korean government, which requested the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to
shoulder 75 percent of the compensation it has already paid out to farmers and
local residents, has yet to be compensated, according to a report by the Justice
Ministry.
The report, submitted to Rep. Lee Choon-suk of the Democratic Party during a
parliamentary audit session, said that the Korean government is owed 12.3 billion
won by the U.S. military which it paid in connection to 15 compensation cases.
In the largest such case, a local court ordered in 2005 that the Korean
government pay some eight billion won to a group of 1,863 people who live near a
USFK operated shooting range in Maehyangri, south of Seoul. The residents were
documented as suffering from hearing loss and mental illnesses caused by the
noise coming from the range.
The Korean government paid the court-ordered fees to the plaintiffs and later
asked the U.S. military to shoulder three quarters of the indemnity, as
stipulated in article 23 of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the official
guideline on the rights and responsibilities of some 28,500 U.S. soldiers
stationed here.
The U.S. military argues that its own investigation findings differ from
conclusions drawn by the South Korean court and cites article 5 of SOFA, which
says South Korea must hold U.S. government agencies blameless in "any third party
claims which may be advanced in connection with such use" of provided facilities.
"It should be pointed out that not only has our government bore the burden of
more than 10 billion in compensation, but the USFK appears to be snubbing our
court's ruling," Rep. Lee said. "Seoul should press the U.S. to take action."
USFK spokesman declined to comment for this report.
"I can't tell you the detail right now," USFK spokesman Kim Young-kyu told
Yonhap. "It's premature to talk about our position."
USFK, whose stationing here is a legacy of the Korean War, has been at the heart
of major controversies revolving around the costs of its maintenance. Local
activists also blame the U.S. military for its failure to cover the costs
involved in cleaning of bases it has vacated for relocation.
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military has refused to pay 12.3 billion won (US$9 million) in court-ordered compensation for Korean rural residents suffering side effects from the noise caused by firearms and jets on its bases, government data showed Thursday.
The Korean government, which requested the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to
shoulder 75 percent of the compensation it has already paid out to farmers and
local residents, has yet to be compensated, according to a report by the Justice
Ministry.
The report, submitted to Rep. Lee Choon-suk of the Democratic Party during a
parliamentary audit session, said that the Korean government is owed 12.3 billion
won by the U.S. military which it paid in connection to 15 compensation cases.
In the largest such case, a local court ordered in 2005 that the Korean
government pay some eight billion won to a group of 1,863 people who live near a
USFK operated shooting range in Maehyangri, south of Seoul. The residents were
documented as suffering from hearing loss and mental illnesses caused by the
noise coming from the range.
The Korean government paid the court-ordered fees to the plaintiffs and later
asked the U.S. military to shoulder three quarters of the indemnity, as
stipulated in article 23 of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the official
guideline on the rights and responsibilities of some 28,500 U.S. soldiers
stationed here.
The U.S. military argues that its own investigation findings differ from
conclusions drawn by the South Korean court and cites article 5 of SOFA, which
says South Korea must hold U.S. government agencies blameless in "any third party
claims which may be advanced in connection with such use" of provided facilities.
"It should be pointed out that not only has our government bore the burden of
more than 10 billion in compensation, but the USFK appears to be snubbing our
court's ruling," Rep. Lee said. "Seoul should press the U.S. to take action."
USFK spokesman declined to comment for this report.
"I can't tell you the detail right now," USFK spokesman Kim Young-kyu told
Yonhap. "It's premature to talk about our position."
USFK, whose stationing here is a legacy of the Korean War, has been at the heart
of major controversies revolving around the costs of its maintenance. Local
activists also blame the U.S. military for its failure to cover the costs
involved in cleaning of bases it has vacated for relocation.
