[June 13] Two killed girls 11 years ago revive the move for the total revision of ROK-US SOFA, upon the 60th year of Armistice Agreement

[아름드리 나무]

[June 13] Two killed girls 11 years ago revive the move for the total revision of ROK-US SOFA, upon the 60^th year of Armistice Agreement

Photo by Voice of People, June 13, 2013/ Shim Mi-Sun and Shin Hyo-Soon, two killed girls of 15 years old then, by a US military armored vehicle on June 13, 2002. For more photos on the people's gathering event to cherish the memories of the two girls, please click here. 

11 years passed after two girls’ death. People organize the movement for the revision of SOFA.  This year marks the 60^th since the US military officially began to station in Korea, with the cease of Korean War in 1953.

It was June 13, 2002 when two 15 years old girls, Shin Hyo-Soon and Shim Mi-Sun on their way going to a friend’s birthday party were killed by an armored vehicle of the US military on a national road No. 56 in the Hyochon-ri, Gwangjeok-myeon, City of Yangjoo, Gyungggi province near the inter-Korean DMZ.

On the 11th remembrance year, people including civic groups and villagers of Ohyun-ri and Mugeon-ri who oppose against the project on the expansion of the Mugeon-ri military training field near their villages gathered into the very accident site and cherished the memories of two girls.

Two driver soldiers of the armored vehicle (Mark Walker and Fernando Nino?) were sentenced of ‘no guilty,’ under the excuse that they were on duty, at the US military court in November, same year.

Even after 11 years passed, Koreans cannot carry out any independent investigation unless the soldiers who have escaped into the inside of barracks are present by calling, while the crimes by the US forces of Korea have been increasing recently. It has been reported that the two are now living in the United States. 

While people’s incense burning site was set up in Seoul on June, 13, 2013, there were people’s gathering to discuss on the direction of revision on SOFA(Status OF Forces Agreement) and launch of ‘Citizens’ Solidarity for the Revision of Unequal ROK-US SOFA,’ as a succession of gathering, in the building of National Assembly, which aims ‘total revision of ROK-US SOFA for the  reciprocity and equality; restoration of sovereignty on judicial law; and protection on the human rights and property rights of Korean citizens.’ In the gathering, people talked on the need of revision on the articles, mainly on the right to trial on criminal case, right to demand civilian case, environment, and labor, etc.

Photo by Kyunghyang, June 13, 2013/ People's incense burning site in Seoul

Photo by Tongil News, June 13, 2013/ People's gathering to discuss on the ROK-US SOFA on June 13, 2013, in the National Assembly

It was 2001 that the ROK-US SOFA was finally revised with the non-fulfilling of many unsatisfied contents.

In Jae-Geun, a National Assembly woman stated that she would “prepare for a proposal for the revision of the ROK-US SOFA this September, jointly working with the National Assembly members who support the revision of SOFA, and based on that, would actively drive for the pass of the resolution on the revision of SOFA  in the regular session of the National Assembly, in the second-half of the year.”

 The Citizens’ Solidarity on SOFA  is composed of 17 groups, such as the National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by U.S.Troops in Korea, Green Korea United, Lawyers’ Association for Democratic Society (Minbyon), Citizens’ Solidarity for Peace And Reunification, Pyongtaek Peace Center, and Solidarity for the Human Rights of Camp-side Town Women (?)

Lee Jang-Hee, co-executive chair of the Citizens’ Solidarity on SOFA, saying that the issues are divided between the sovereignty and environment matters, emphasized the importance of environment issue because of tremendous cost and damage, while the United States `is revising the issue on the rights to jurisdiction on criminal cases, little by little.

Photo by Nocut News, June 13, 2013/ On the very site of two girls' death accident on June 13, 2002, people's 11th year event to cherish the memories of them was held on June 13, 2013. 

Reference:

Voice of People, June 13, 2013

Tongil News, June 13, 2013