Yangju highway incident The Yangju highway incident , also known as the Yangju training accident or Highway 56 Accident , occurred on June 13 , 2002 , in Yangju , Gyeonggi - do , South Korea . A United States Army armored vehicle , returning to base in Uijeongbu on a public road after training maneuvers in the countryside , struck and killed two 14 - year - old South Korean schoolgirls , Shin Hyo - sun ( Korean : 신효순 ) and Shim Mi - seon ( Korean : 심미선 ) . The American soldiers involved were found not guilty of negligent homicide in the court martial , further inflaming anti - American sentiment in South Korea . The memory of the two schoolgirls is commemorated annually in South Korea . The accident . An American military convoy subordinate to the 2nd Infantry Division of 8th United States Army set out to undertake a training exercise at a range approximately 12 miles ( 19 kilometers ) north of metropolitan Seoul . As the convoy passed along a narrow country road near Yangju City , Gyeonggi Province , one of the convoy ' s armored vehicles , weighing approximately 57 tons , struck and killed two 14 year old South Korean schoolgirls , Shim Mi - son and Shin Hyo - sun , as they walked along the side of the roadway on their way to a birthday party . Legal proceedings - - issue of jurisdiction . On July 5 , 2002 , as a result of this incident , and in accordance with the U . S . - ROK Status of Forces Agreement ( SOFA ) , which stipulates that U . S . military personnel fall under the jurisdiction of U . S . military courts should they commit crimes while performing official duties , both the driver of the vehicle , Sergeant Mark Walker , and the vehicle ’ s commander , Sergeant Fernando Nino , were charged with " negligent homicide ” under the U . S . military ’ s Uniform Code of Military Justice ( UCMJ ) for " negligently failing to ensure the safe operation of the vehicle . " Seeking to prosecute the two soldiers in civilian courts under South Korean law , however , on July 10 , the South Korean Justice Ministry requested that the USFK command transfer jurisdiction in the case to the South Korean legal system . While the SOFA stipulates that U . S . military personnel performing official duties fall under the jurisdiction of U . S . military courts , jurisdiction can be transferred to South Korea at the discretion of the U . S . military commander . Citing concerns about setting a precedent in terms of allowing civilian proceedings against U . S . military personnel , then Judge Advocate of the USFK , Colonel Kent Myers , said the U . S . command would not do so , noting that the U . S . Army had waived jurisdiction only once before in a case in which the act committed was intentional and not accidental . In a statement issued by the USFK , Col . Myers noted that Walker and Nino were clearly performing assigned duties in an official capacity and were therefore subject to the UCMJ under the U . S . - ROK SOFA . Although they refused the request of the South Korean Justice Ministry , American officials did , however , invite more than 30 media representatives , representatives from the South Korean Justice Ministry , the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade , and from other South Korean non - governmental organizations ( NGOs ) to observe the trials . In addition , rooms with closed circuit television ( CCTV ) coverage were provided to accommodate the increased level of interest . Moreover , families of the victims were invited to attend and , to protect their privacy , were offered the use of a separate CCTV - equipped room staffed with an interpreter and military lawyer to explain the processes involved . In addition to these actions , public statements made by U . S . officials stressed the fair and impartial nature of the U . S . military legal process . During the proceedings , lawyers for Sgt . Nino contended that he attempted to alert Sgt . Walker to the presence of the two girls on the periphery of the road . Reports differ as to whether Sgt . Walker did not hear the order due to a defective communications device or because he had altered the frequency of his radio in order to communicate with others in the convoy . Sergeants Nino and Walker were subsequently found not guilty of " negligent homicide " in verdicts issued independently by two separate panels on Wednesday , November 20 and Friday , November 22 , 2002 . While demonstrators questioned the legitimacy and objectivity of the U . S . military court and its verdict , the South Korean Justice Ministry voiced dissatisfaction with the verdict , but respect for the process as employed . Acquittal and expressions of anti - American sentiment . Full apologies were issued by American civilian and military officials at various levels of authority immediately after the incident and repeated throughout the course of the legal proceedings . In addition , visits were made to the families of the two victims , and compensation was paid to the surviving family members . U . S . President George W . Bush also phoned then South Korean President Kim Dae - jung and expressed his regret over the deaths of the two South Korean schoolgirls . However , the acquittal of the two servicemen sparked anti - American demonstrations in various locations , termed " the biggest anti - American protests the country has seen in recent years " by a BBC report covering the December 2002 visit of then U . S . Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to South Korea . The same report also suggested that presidential elections in South Korea , set to take place that same December , may have focused attention on the issue as a larger referendum on the U . S . - ROK relationship , and thus exacerbated tensions . In addition to anger , sadness , and outrage at the death of the two girls , this move sparked protests in several locations as South Koreans expressed a desire for greater control over foreign military forces stationed in South Korea and urged that the SOFA be revised accordingly . Father Mun Jeong Hyeon , a Roman Catholic priest active in the anti - USFK movement , began a hunger strike outside the U . S . Embassy in Seoul . In addition to a series of large demonstrations at U . S . military installations and a rally attended by more than 50 , 000 people in Seoul during the second week of December , attacks , including fire bombings , were launched at the Yongsan Garrison and both the South Korean and American personnel responsible for guarding U . S . military installations in South Korea . In one incident in December 2002 , an unarmed U . S . Army officer , Lieutenant Colonel Steven A . Boylan , was attacked by three South Korean men wielding a knife outside the Garrison . Colonel Boylan suffered only minor injuries . Aftermath . In the months following the incident , both the U . S . military and the South Korean government took actions to attempt to address the circumstances seen as having led to the deaths of the two schoolgirls . As of August 2002 , the U . S . Army banned all armored vehicles of the type involved in the June 13th accident from civilian roads . In addition , the U . S . Army announced more than 20 additional measures to improve safety during training exercises , including improvements to the notification system used to communicate with community leaders about upcoming training exercises , the installation of additional mirrors on U . S . Army vehicles to improve driver visibility , and the retrofitting of additional intercom systems on U . S . military vehicles to allow for direct communication between drivers and vehicle commanders . Officials from Gyeonggi Province also took actions to address another issue seen to have contributed to the accident , inadequate transportation infrastructure . Reports indicated that one factor that may have contributed to the deaths of Shim Mi - son and Shin Hyo - sun , was the width and design of the roads in the area near their home village . Not only are roads in the area narrow , they do not always have space allocated along their periphery for pedestrians to use as walkways . Some have posited that this design contributes to the number of traffic accidents in South Korea in general . Given that the armored vehicles traveling in the convoy on June 13 are wider than both a typical passenger vehicle and than the lanes marked on most roads , and that the two girls were struck on the right - hand side of an uphill S - curve curving to the right , some reports posited that the design of the road where the accident occurred , and the width of the vehicles , the lanes on the road , and the road itself may have exacerbated the dangers already inherent when military vehicles operate within a civilian environment . As such , improvements were made to the road where the incident took place as part of a $ 94 million plan to improve more than of roads throughout the province . A major focal point of the project was the completion of improvements to roads used by the 2nd Infantry Division . Officials focused on widening , straightening , and smoothing the roads , while also adding footpaths . Begun in December 2002 , reports suggest the project was 85 percent complete as of February 2004 and set to be concluded by April 2004 . While the South Korean national government spent almost $ 1 million to acquire the land necessary to widen several stretches of road , in some cases by 2 – 3 feet , the cost of construction fell upon the Gyeonggi provincial government .