South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to set up a joint committee to resolve the case involving a U.S. Forces Korea’s garrison in Seoul suspected of polluting groundwater and nearby land, Seoul’s municipal government said Tuesday.

During a tripartite meeting held a day earlier, officials from South Korea’s environment ministry, USFK and the Seoul Metropolitan Government agreed to establish a joint working-level committee to explore ways to resolve the environmental issues surrounding the Yongsan Garrison.

The U.S. Army base is suspected of being the source of oil that has polluted at least 12,000 square meters of land and more than 7 million liters of underground water due to oil leakage since 2001 when the first oil spill was reported. (Yonhap News)