한미, 2022년 초까지 용산 미군기지 4분의 1 반환 추진

South Korea and the U.S. hammered issues regarding the return of American military base in central Seoul.
The two sides are also closely working together to decide the scale and duration of the joint military exercise slated for August.
Kim Ji-yeon reports.
South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to work closely together for the return of about a quarter of the U.S. military's Yongsan Garrison site by next year.
South Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday... that its director-general for North American affairs, Ko Yun-ju and Lieutenant General Scott Pleus of the U.S. Forces Korea, reached an agreement via teleconference.
The Yongsan Garrison site, which is about two-million square-meters of land in total, is one of the 12 military bases the U.S. military has yet to return to South Korea.
It's also a site the South Korean government wants to turn into a national park.
For the U.S., the envisioned return of the Yongsan Garrison is part of a relocation plan to consolidate U.S. bases on the Korean Peninsula... into garrisons in Pyeongtak and Daegu.
The return process has been slow due to disagreements on who will pay for the base decontamination costs.
Late last year, the Korean government said there was a disagreement in determining which side is financially responsible for decontaminating the polluted parts of four returned bases... estimated at more than 92 million U.S. dollars.
Regarding the annual summertime joint military exercise between South Korea and the U.S., Seoul's defense ministry said decisions regarding its volume, duration and method are not yet finalized.
How to stage the drill has also been an issue, as the two Koreas this week reopened the cross-border communication lines which had been severed for about 13 months.
Pyeongyang has criticized the combined drills... saying they're a rehearsal for invasion.

"Regarding the exercises, South Korea and the U.S. are in close consultation, with related conditions in mind, including the coronavirus situation, the combined readiness posture, circumstances for the envisioned transfer of operational control, and supporting diplomatic efforts for lasting peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Min Hong-chul, Chairman of the National Assembly's defense committee, who is currently visiting Washington DC... said he has delivered a message to U.S. political circles... to say that any impact of the exercise should be taken into consideration... since it could hamper diplomatic efforts of Seoul and Washington in the denuclearization of North Korea.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.

#SouthKorea #expedite #Yongsan_Garrison

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2021-07-29, 22:00 (KST)