President Lee: "We Spent 10 Trillion Won on Camp Humphreys, But Base Return Delays Are Incomprehensible"

President Lee Receives Defense Ministry Briefing
Ministry of National Defense: "U.S. Side Somewhat Passive in Negotiations"
President Urges Diplomatic and Defense Ministries to Accelerate Talks
Partial Return of Camp Stanley Ammunition Depo

On August 5, President Lee Jae-myung ordered the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expedite negotiations, stating that the return of former U.S. military bases and sites has been excessively delayed even after the relocation of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to the Pyeongtaek Base. President Lee remarked, "It is unreasonable by any common standard that, despite South Korea having invested more than 10 trillion won to build and provide the Pyeongtaek base, we have not been able to regain the sites previously used by the U.S. military in a timely manner."

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the ministry work report meeting for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs held at the Blue House reception hall on August 5, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

At the ministry work briefing held at the Blue House State Reception Hall on this day, President Lee said, "Negotiations on the return of U.S. military sites seem to be dragging on for too long," adding, "Even though we spent an enormous amount of money to construct the Pyeongtaek base for U.S. troops, many of the sites that were supposed to be vacated beforehand have yet to be cleared."

President Lee further pointed out, "Some sites have technically been vacated, but since the post-return procedures are not yet complete, we are effectively unable to use them," and criticized, "This has been going on not for just a year or two—it is a serious problem." In response, Minister of National Defense Kyuback Ahn said, "The U.S. side has shown a somewhat passive attitude toward the dialogue, so we are continuously urging them to move forward."

President Lee emphasized that the provision of the Pyeongtaek base and the return of former bases should have been completed simultaneously. He stated, "Because of trust between nations, it was likely assumed the agreement would be honored, but it is a mistake to provide everything in advance. Entry and return should have happened at the same time." The Ministry of National Defense explained that the U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek covers an area of approximately 4.44 million pyeong (about 14.66 million square meters), and more than 10 trillion won was invested, excluding the cost of the land itself.

President Lee asserted, "We spent an enormous amount of money to support the overseas base for U.S. forces on the condition that the sites they previously used would be returned to us. It has already been quite some time since the move to Pyeongtaek, yet these sites are not being returned for various reasons, and even when they are, restrictions are imposed one by one, preventing us from actually using them. This is unacceptable."

He then instructed the Ministry of National Defense "to speed up the process" and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to actively engage in the negotiations as well. When Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun replied that "efforts have been made in conjunction with the Ministry of National Defense," President Lee responded, "Accelerate your efforts even further."

Kyuback Ahn, Minister of National Defense, is reporting at the Ministry of Departments' work briefing hosted by President Jae-myung Lee at the Blue House State Reception Hall on August 5, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

In its work report, the Ministry of National Defense stated that it would actively promote the prompt return of U.S. military bases in northern Gyeonggi Province. It reported that, through a Special Joint Committee of the South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in February, an agreement was reached to return part of the Camp Stanley ammunition depot in Uijeongbu, and that follow-up measures are being undertaken to allow local governments to establish facilities for community convenience.

Furthermore, under the South Korea-U.S. Joint Land Management Plan Agreement, the Ministry will pursue the early return of outstanding U.S. military bases remaining in northern Gyeonggi Province, and it will support local government development plans to ensure that the returned land can serve as new regional growth hubs. The Ministry is also considering directly leading development of returned land in cooperation with specialized agencies, if necessary.

The delay in the return of U.S. military bases has been a long-standing issue for local governments in northern Gyeonggi Province. Even after the bases are vacated, local governments face difficulties initiating development unless subsequent South Korea-U.S. consultations are completed regarding environmental pollution assessments, cost-sharing for remediation, and the management of facilities on site.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.