Officials reluctant to probe U.S. Army

The Green League accused Thomas Schwartz, commander of the U.S. Army in Korea, on charges of dumping toxic chemicals, but the prosecutor`s office is reluctant to investigate the case.

The Green League lodged a complaint on July 20 against the U.S. Army commander with the Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office. But the office reportedly failed to complete a legal examination of the case by August 2.

Officials of the Prosecutor`s Office said that the legal study of the case had been delayed because the person who was in charge of the investigation was replaced as a result of recent personnel changes.

However, they admitted that they had intended to delay the schedule for the investigation to the maximum degree from the beginning.

The officials said that enforcement must be the last resort in resolving any civil issue, hinting that they would delay the process of investigation. The Prosecutor`s Office, which considers it burdensome to directly investigate the U.S. Army commander, seems to want a political or diplomatic solution to the question.