Joint U.S.-Korea Probe Discovers U.S. Forces Korea Brought Anthrax Samples to South Korea 16 Times From 2009 to 2014
South Korea's Defense Ministry said Thursday that the government, together with the United States, has devised new rules to regulate the U.S. Forces Korea's shipment of biochemical samples into the country. The decision follows the result of a joint Seoul-Washington investigation which posits that anthrax samples were delivered to USFK's biochemical laboratory inside the Osan Air Base in April this year.
According to the Korea Herald, 22 U.S. servicemen were found to have been exposed to the anthrax samples in May, which were sent to the Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province from a military laboratory in Utah.
The investigating team also revealed that the USFK brought anthrax samples into South Korea for a total of 16 times from 2009 to 2014, Korea Times reported Thursday.
Aside from the anthrax samples, the probe also discovered samples of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that caused the bubonic plague.
Moreover, it was reported that the South Korean government had no knowledge about the biochemical shipments, since under the former Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) the USFK was not required to disclose to the government the content of the shipments, KBS News wrote.
"We confirmed that USFK imported inactivated Bacillus anthracis test samples as well as inactivated Yersinia pestis samples for detection and identification training ... while safely decontaminating the facility and destroying the samples," said Major General Chang Kyung Soo, director general for policy planning at Seoul's Defense Ministry.
Maj. Gen. Jang also said that no safety precaution was violated since the samples were packed and delivered in a manner permitted under international shipping standards for such substances.
In a bid to prevent a recurrence of the same incident and to avoid potential health hazards, the joint investigating team has developed a set of guidelines that will ensure full disclosure of biochemical samples brought into the country by the USFK.
The Korea Observer reported Thursday that under the new set of rules recommended by the probe team, the USFK is required to report the name, amount and purpose of biochemical samples that are delivered into the country, together with the organizations that sent and received the samples. Additionally, if either of the parties wants to examine the samples, both sides should be present in doing so.
Korea Times also reported that the recommendation took effect immediately upon the signing of the SOFA Committee.
