Negotiations on the return of U.S. military base go nowhere
Negotiations on the return of U.S. military base sites to the Korean government have been practically halted since 2006.
The Ministry of Environment said a pollution check on the closed-down base in Busan, Camp Hialeah, was last conducted in May 2006.
The ministry had requested Camp Hialeah allow it to inspect the 540-thousand square meter compound. However, the U.S. side turned down the request and banned the inspectors’ entry. The ministry couldn’t continue with the inspection without the U.S. military’s approval.
Since then, no additional environmental inspections have been conducted on U.S. military base sites in the nation.
The pollution inspections are required in order to take back the sites from the United States.
Therefore, the delays at 42 other sites, including the Yongsan Garrison, are inevitable.