The Foreign Ministry will open a call center this month to help victims of crimes committed by U.S. military personnel here by providing legal information and counseling services, an official said Wednesday.

The ministry has been preparing to set up the 24-hour call center in the wake of two rape cases of South Korean teenagers by U.S. service members in 2011 that sparked nationwide protests against U.S. forces stationed in the South.

The center is expected to “reduce inconveniences for victims by offering a comprehensive legal and counseling service for compensation,” the ministry official said on the condition of anonymity.

It will also advise people who suffered property damage because of activities by U.S. forces in South Korea, including environmental pollution from bases and other military-related incidents, the official said.

About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Crimes by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) personnel are a sensitive subject in South Korea. Every year, about 400 criminal and 250 civil cases involving USFK personnel are reported, according to the ministry.

Last month, USFK banned its personnel from drinking alcohol in the wake of a series of violent incidents, including a sexual harassment case by a U.S. soldier against a woman in an elevator. (Yonhap News)