Dialogue on contested U.S. base move resumes

Daechuri last month.(Kim tae Hyung)

Justice ministry to be involved in negotiations

Dialogue between the South Korean government and residents of Pyeongtaek resumed Friday in an attempt to resolve conflict over U.S. military base expansion in the area.

Representatives from the Office of the Prime Minster met with leaders of a local civic group at Pyeongtaek City Hall Friday morning, and agreed to resolve the various issues relating to base expansion through dialogue.

"We concentrated on listening to locals’ complaints," said a government official. "We agreed to meet next week to talk about the core issues." He said the prime minister’s office intends to consult the Ministry of Justice and the police before discussing whether people who have been arrested during clashes in the area can be released. A representative of the protesters there told reporters he had demanded the release of people who have been arrested.

The most violent confrontation in Daechuri occurred May 4 between South Korean military police and those protesting the base’s move there. The base expansion is part of a large-scale consolidation by the U.S. military of its troops in South Korea, a plan slated to close several existing bases and reduce the overall number of troops serving in the country by 2008.