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Wed, May 18, 2022 | 20:58
-------------------------
Jurisdiction over GIs expanded
한미, `미군범죄 기소전 신병인도' 합의
Posted : 2012-05-23 18:15
Updated : 2012-05-23 18:15
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Lee Baek-soon, right, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ North American Affairs Bureau, and Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, deputy commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, shake hands during a Joint Committee meeting of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) at Yongsan United States military base in Seoul, Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Chung Min-uck

Korea has gained more legal jurisdiction over United States soldiers here who commit criminal acts.

Officials from Seoul and Washington agreed to grant Korean officials more investigative authority during the preliminary stages of criminal cases involving U.S. troops, according to the foreign ministry.

“Until now, it was hard for the investigators to take control due to the clause that states the U.S. soldiers suspected of crime should be ‘indicted within 24 hours,’” said a foreign ministry official, Wednesday. “By removing the clause we will be able to take the U.S. suspects into custody and have more time to investigate in the initial stages.”

The contentious clause in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which clarifies the legal status of U.S. soldiers here, prevented Korean law enforcement officials from detaining suspected U.S. servicemen for investigation due to a stipulation that suspects should be freed unless charges were laid within a day.

In addition, the two sides agreed to let Korea authority take charge of suspects who it arrested until a U.S. military representative is present and to carry out questioning for a “considerable period of time” even after the arrival of the representative.

The late attendance of U.S. representatives has frequently interrupted the interrogations.

An investigation by Korean officials carried out before the arrival of a U.S. military representative is invalid under the SOFA rule.

“The new measures are expected to strengthen our legal jurisdiction over the U.S. troops,” the official said.

Lee Baek-soon, director-general of the foreign ministry’s North American Affairs Bureau, and Lt. Gen. Jan-Marc Jouas, deputy commander of the U.S. Forces Korea, signed the revision during a Joint Committee meeting of the SOFA at Yongsan U.S. military base in Seoul on Wednesday.

The move comes following the rape of a teenage girl by an American soldier last September, which reignited anti-U.S. sentiment of civic groups and lawmakers who called for a revision of the SOFA.

Anti-American sentiment swept the whole nation in 2002 after two South Korean school girls were accidently run over and killed by a U.S. military vehicle and a U.S. military court acquitted the soldiers responsible.

Statistics show the number of crimes committed by American soldiers and dependants here has been increasing.

Around 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to defend against any invasion attempts by North Korea.

한미, `미군범죄 기소전 신병인도' 합의
한미 양국이 주한미군 범죄 피의자의 신병을 기소 전에 인도받을 수 있도록 하는 내용의 한미 SOFA(주한미군 주둔지위협정) 형사재판권 운영개선을 위한 합동위 합의사항(AR)에 합의했다. 외교통상부는 23일 오후 용산 미군기지에서 개최된 SOFA 합동위원회 제190차 회의(한국측 위원장 이백순 외교통상부 북미국장, 미국측 위원장 장 마크 주아스 주한미군 부사령관)에서 '24시간 내 기소의무' 조항을 삭제하는 것을 골자로 한 형사절차 운영에 대한 새로운 틀에 양측이 합의했다고 밝혔다. 이에 따라 우리측은 기소 전이라도 한미간 협의를 통해 미측으로부터 피의자 신병을 인도받을 수 있게 됐고, 우리측이 체포한 미측 피의자에 대해서는 미 정부 대표 출석후 초동수사를 완료할때 까지 신병을 확보할 수 있게 됐다. 외교통상부 당국자는 "이번 조치로 향후 우리 수사기관이 보다 효율적으로 수사를 하는데 도움이 될 것"이라며 "우리측 형사재판권 강화에 기여할 것으로 전망된다"고 말했다. 현행 SOFA 규정은 한국 사법당국이 기소전이라도 주한미군의 신병을 요청하면 호의적으로 고려해야 한다고 돼 있지만 합동위 합의사항에 `한국 사법당국은 주한미군의 신병을 인도받으면 24시간 이내 기소하든지 아니면 풀어줘야 한다'고 돼 있어 기소전 신병 인도는 사실상 이뤄지지 못했다. 24시간이라는 시간에 쫓겨 충분한 수사 없이 부실기소를 할 경우 공소유지가 어렵다는 부담 때문에 수사당국이 신병인도를 요청할 엄두를 내지 못했기 때문이다. 그러나 이번 합의로 기소전 신병인도시 `24시간 이내 기소 의무' 조항이 삭제돼 경찰 수사단계에서부터 미측 피의자 신병을 확보해 수사를 진행할 수 있는 절차가 마련됐다. 또 과거 우리 경찰이 미측 피의자를 체포하더라도 미 정부대표의 출석이 지연돼 초동수사를 실시하는데 어려움을 겪어 왔지만, 이번 합의로 우리측은 미 정부 대표가 출석할때 까지 미측 피의자를 구금할 수 있게돼 미 정부 대표의 출석지연도 방지할 수 있게 됐다. (연합뉴스)
Emailmuchung@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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