[59th] Solution for US Base Cleanups in Sight

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 10:54

59thSolution for US Base Cleanups in Sight

Posted : 2009-10-20 18:23

Updated : 2009-10-20 18:23

By Oh Young-jin, Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporters

A thorny issue over who will pay for the environmental cleanup of U.S. military bases being vacated is finding an amicable solution, Korea's top environment policymaker said.

Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee spoke to The Korea Times last Thursday for the paper’s 59th anniversary interview series from his office at the Gwacheon Government Complex in Gyeonggi Province.

/ Korea Times photo
by Hwang Jae-sung

"A survey initially underestimated the costs of cleaning up Camp Hialeah in Busan by 25 percent but U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will take care of it before returning it," said Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee during an exclusive interview with The Korea Times last week.

Regarding Camp Madison in Uiwang, south of Seoul, where an oil spill has been the target of public grievance, Lee said, "The USFK will conduct a survey and clean it up before returning it to us."

Lee said he was the first environment minister to meet with the USFK commander, now Gen. Walter Sharp, adding that their agreement came during their meeting.

The 63-year-old minister also said the two countries are seriously considering a formula for settling future disputes over base cleanups in which the U.S. military would pay if new sources of contamination were found, even after the bases have been returned.

There is no clear clause regarding cleanup costs in the ROK-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and this has been a constant source of friction in the relocation of U.S. bases.

Lee's top priority, however, is to help provide an impetus for the administration's civil engineering project aimed at restoring four rivers in the face of strong opposition from civic groups.

"The river restoration project is an environment issue," Lee declared, explaining that, without it, Korea will face water shortages that could impede further development at a national level.

"Honam, which is made up of the Jeolla Provinces, is an example," he said, noting that water shortages played a key role in hobbling the regional industrialization of the provinces. Lee is from Damyang, South Jeolla Province.

He said Yeongnam, or the Gyeongsang Provinces, are suffering from the same dire situation. "I am from Honam but when it comes to the Nakdong River restoration in the Yeongnam area, I am all for it." Nakdong has long lost the ability to clean itself after years of being neglected, despite the fact it is a key fresh water source for one of the nation's most industrialized regions.

He predicted that factories in the region may face the prospect of being shut down or losing their competitiveness if water supplies are not secured over the long haul.

"The natural environment can turn into natural capital," he said, citing tourism and eco-friendly residences as additional benefits of the restoration project.

'To me, it is my religion," he said, commenting on the project worth billions of dollars. "I believe that history will be the judge," apparently referring to strong public opposition.

In this context, he disclosed his philosophy as a senior public servant assisting the President. "You should have a mindset of becoming part of your boss, trying to be on the same page as he is," he said, adding that a successful public servant can be determined in equal parts by his or her ability and will to serve the nation.

Lee has been very successful as public servant starting with a job at the current Ministry of Public Administration and Security. He served as vice mayor of Gwangju and worked as presidential secretary in the Kim Dae-jung administration before becoming vice environment minister. He was promoted to his current post after President Lee took office.

His two stints at the ministry have made him not just an administrator but also an expert in related affairs. "When you feel that a lady riding a bicycle is more beautiful than one in a fancy car, it is a good start to being environmentally friendly."

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr