ROK-US Joint Statement Adopted at SOFA Joint Committee on Early 2022 US Military Base Returns

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] On the 29th, the joint committee of the Republic of Korea-United States Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) adopted a joint statement promising the return of the Yongsan US military base site, covering an area of 500,000㎡, by early 2022.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 29th, Ko Yoon-joo, Director General of the North American Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and co-chair of the ROK-US SOFA Joint Committee, and Scott Ployce, Deputy Commander of the US Forces Korea, discussed the future plan for the return of the Yongsan base area through a teleconference and agreed on the joint statement of the ROK-US SOFA Joint Committee.

The co-chairs agreed to promote the return of a considerable portion of the Yongsan base. Both sides agreed that since Yongsan is currently an active US military base, completing the relocation to Camp Humphreys aligns with the interests of both countries, and they will work to facilitate the ongoing relocation project.

In particular, both sides agreed to closely cooperate to ensure that approximately 500,000㎡ of the Yongsan base is returned by early 2022.

The governments of Korea and the US plan to identify areas of the Yongsan base where use has ended and which can be returned as soon as all relocation and security-related measures are completed, in order to meet the expectations and understanding of the Korean public regarding the return of the Yongsan base.

Furthermore, both sides will encourage cooperation and discussions at the SOFA Facilities Subcommittee and Environmental Subcommittee levels to ensure the successful progress of base return and transfer procedures in 2021 and 2022, and will jointly inspect related matters if necessary.