Pyeongtaek Wins Lawsuit Over U.S. Military Base Soil Remediation Costs... Receives Full 1.6 Billion Won Compensation

Seoul Central District Court Recognizes State Liability

Pyeongtaek City Wins Final Damages Lawsuit

2,460m³ of Contaminated Soil Remediated

Near Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base

Mayor Choi Wonyong: "A Victory for Citizens' Environmental Rights"

Pyeongtaek City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Choi Wonyong) will be fully reimbursed by the state for approximately 1.6 billion won it spent cleaning up contaminated soil around U.S. military bases in Korea.

Pyeongtaek City Hall exterior. Provided by Pyeongtaek City

Pyeongtaek City announced on the 7th that it has ultimately won a damages lawsuit against the government, claiming reimbursement for the costs incurred in cleaning contaminated soil around U.S. military installations. On the previous day, the Seoul Central District Court fully accepted the city’s claim and recognized the government’s liability for compensation. The process of disbursing the compensation as per the court’s ruling is currently underway.

The lawsuit began in May 2024 when Pyeongtaek City sought reimbursement from the government after carrying out soil remediation near Camp Humphreys, the Command Post Exercise (CPX) training ground, and the area surrounding Osan Air Base.

According to soil investigations carried out from 2018 to 2019 under the "Special Act on Support for Areas Surrounding U.S. Military-Occupied Zones," pollutants including Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), benzene, cadmium, and zinc were detected in these areas.

The volume of soil remediated by Pyeongtaek City totals 2,460㎥—1,617㎥ around Camp Humphreys and the CPX training ground, and 843㎥ near Osan Air Base.

The city argued that, under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Korea and the U.S. and the National Compensation Act, the state should take primary responsibility for the related damages. The court’s ruling in favor of the city reconfirmed the government's obligation to compensate local governments for the costs incurred in cleaning up soil contamination around U.S. military bases to ensure resident safety and environmental protection.

Choi Wonyong, Mayor of Pyeongtaek, stated, "This verdict is a meaningful achievement, marking the result of our city’s ongoing efforts to safeguard citizens’ environmental rights and to create a safe living environment." He added, "We will continue to thoroughly manage the soil and groundwater surrounding U.S. military installations in our jurisdiction, and even after the completion of remediation projects, we will do our utmost to establish an environment where residents can live with peace of mind through systematic follow-up inspections."

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