[Photo] S. Korean activists demand audit on pollution issue at former USFK base

Members of Green Korea, the Global Econet, the International Environment Action Association and other environmental groups hold a press conference Tuesday in front of the US Embassy in Seoul to demand that the Board of Audit and Inspection conduct a public interest audit on purification work at Camp Sears, a former United States Forces Korea base in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

Green Korea, the Global Econet, the International Environment Action Association and other environmental groups demanded a public interest audit on Tuesday on purification work at Camp Sears, a former United States Forces Korea (USFK) base in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, where oil contaminants were detected at over 10 times the standard in soil.

Members of Green Korea, the Global Econet, the International Environment Action Association and other environmental groups hold a press conference Tuesday in front of the US Embassy in Seoul to demand that the Board of Audit and Inspection conduct a public interest audit on purification work at Camp Sears, a former United States Forces Korea base in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

Camp Sears, which was installed in the 1960s, had nine oil tanks set up on the base to supply oil to other USFK bases north of Seoul. Camp Sears was returned to the South Korean government in 2007 in accordance with the 2002 Land Partnership Program.

The Ministry of National Defense, which took over the base, had purified the land to meet safety standards for residential areas and sold the land to Narybek City, a private real estate developer.

Narybek City, however, found contaminated soil during excavation work.

Members of Green Korea, the Global Econet, the International Environment Action Association and other environmental groups hold a press conference Tuesday in front of the US Embassy in Seoul to demand that the Board of Audit and Inspection conduct a public interest audit on purification work at Camp Sears, a former United States Forces Korea base in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

Members of the organizations held a press conference Tuesday in front of the US Embassy in Seoul to demand that the Board of Audit and Inspection conduct a public interest audit on the matter, saying “institutions involved in the process are denying their responsibility despite the fact that purification work on the land has been confirmed to have been done without proper inspection.”

There are nearly 80 former USFK bases going through return procedures across the country, and additional pollution cases have been confirmed at Camp Page in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province; Camp Falling Water, also in Uijeongbu; and Camp Hialeah in Busan.

By Lee Jeong-a, staff photographer

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