Gov¡¯t prepares for a tough round at SOFA

With rising public outcry against the position taken by the U.S. for the upcoming SOFA talks set to begin August 2nd, the Korean government has adopted a tougher stance, brushing off its, up to now, cautious approach. Unlike the passive attitude during the first SOFA talks in 1991 when Korea had no bargaining chips, forcing a rather defensive posture, the current government deems the proposed revision draft submitted by the U.S. as completely unacceptable. Furthermore, the government in a much more aggressive line has vowed to fight to the end for the upcoming round of talks.

The public outcry began to build with the content leakage of the proposed revision draft which was delivered during a closed door meeting of the Reunification Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee on the 10th. The central issue at the center of the tempest is the demand by the U.S. to retain the jurisdiction over one of its own whose alleged crime would lead to less than 3-year prison term if convicted. The adoption of such revision would make SOFA much less than a "true" agreement for mutual benefit and understanding.

While some feel it a result of negligence in keeping a tight lid on the proposed draft revision by the U.S., none can dispute the fact that the enormous public support and outcry has lifted the courage of our government as they prepare to head to the negotiation table.

Adding to the current fury, the disclosure of the dumping of toxic waste into the river system by the USFK which rocked the nation has escalated the voices calling for a much disputed addition of a new clause in the SOFA concerning environmental issues. While the USFK has admitted to having released the toxic waste, it has kept silent in regard to its handling of the responsible persons.

These events have firmly placed the upcoming SOFA negotiations at the center of public concern. The Foreign Affairs Ministry and other related agencies have been flooded with calls of encouragement as well as instruction for the negotiators to consider `hara-kiri", a Japanese-style suicide, should the negotiations take a turn for the worse.