The USFK statement comes on the heels of an increased number of requests by Korean people for the return of real estate which is currently being used by U.S. forces.
Land is in short supply in Korea amid the rapid expansion of urban areas.
According to USFK watchers, it is very rare for the USFK to speak up on the land return issue, which is considered to be an increasingly vexing problem to both sides. For instance, in the early 1990s, the return of land occupied by U.S. camps in Seoul was agreed to in principle but the agreement was left unconcluded because of budget problems concerning the relocation of the bases in question. An additional 0.231 million acres has been provided to the USFK on a temporary basis and is being used for military training such as tank maneuvers, artillery firing, aerial drops, weapons qualification tests and major combat simulation exercises, the USFK said. About 57,000 U.S. soldiers, civilian employees and their dependents are stationed in Korea. It cited a few recent cases of land returns.