A group of civic groups in South Korea said Sunday they will file a petition demanding the U.S. military release detailed information on its past discharge of toxic chemicals here.

Currently, South Korea and the U.S. are jointly investigating claims by retired U.S. soldiers that they had helped dump large amounts of Agent Orange in 1978 inside Camp Carroll in Chilgok, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Agent Orange, a defoliant widely used in the Vietnam War, is suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, among some people, as well as birth defects in their children. The defoliant was contaminated by dioxin, a highly toxic substance.

The civic groups, including People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, disputed the credibility of the investigation and said they will promptly move to obtain information through a petition.

"The U.S. military does not appear to be providing precise information, and we're afraid people's interest in the issue may drop if things continue this way," an official at Green Korea United said.

Early this week, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said a 1992 study showed a "large amount" of pesticides, herbicides and solvents were buried at Camp Carroll in 1978, but were removed and taken to an unknown site during the following two years.

The USFK also said its review of records found "trace amounts" of dioxin in a 2004 test at the site, but the findings do not "directly" indicate that Agent Orange was buried there.

Environmental contamination has become a major source of concern for South Koreans after the U.S. military returned some of its bases in the South. Some 28,500 American service members are currently stationed in the country, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.



(Yonhap News)