https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Defense/South-Korea-s-dilemma-over-hosting-US-bases-tests-Lee-s-diplomacy
South Korea's dilemma over hosting US bases tests Lee's diplomacy
Citizens mourn two schoolgirls killed by a US military vehicle in 2002
Mourners carry portraits of Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun, who were struck and killed in 2002 by a U.S. military vehicle, at a memorial in Yangju, South Korea, on June 13. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
YANGJU, South Korea -- Near the site of one of South Korea's most emotive tragedies, dozens of mourners gathered Friday to remember the lives of two schoolgirls and hope for better times ahead.
The occasion was the annual memorial for Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo- sun, two middle school friends who lived in this mountainous village about one hour's drive north of the capital, Seoul, close to the border with North Korea. U.S. troops are stationed nearby and heavy vehicles regularly rumble along the area's narrow roads conducting exercises.
On June 13, 2002, Shim and Shin, both 14 years old, were on their way to a friend's birthday party. As they walked along a curving mountain road that did not have sidewalks, U.S. military vehicles drove up behind them. They died when they were run over by a 57-ton bridge-launching armored vehicle.
Their deaths sparked massive public protests, as thousands gathered to call for the U.S. military to apologize and for the two soldiers operating the vehicle to face charges in a South Korean court.
This year, the event went ahead with a new sense of optimism: South Korea recently emerged from six months of political chaos sparked by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, and the new president, progressive Lee Jae-myung, has pledged to work for peace with Pyongyang. On Sunday, Lee said he would work to restore dialogue channels with the North as a step toward easing tensions.
The U.S. military presence in South Korea is in place to deter aggression from North Korea. While it has mostly maintained an uneasy peace, progressive activists have long argued that the U.S. military creates safety risks for communities that host installations.
Twenty-three years after the incident, a crowd still turns out to remember the girls, testifying to the lasting pain caused by the incident and the at-times tragic history of postwar South Korea.
President Lee, who took office on June 4, comes from the political left, which has long advocated a softer line on North Korea, favoring the provision of aid and negotiations over shows of force. He has a connection to the tragedy of Shin and Shim and the park where Friday's memorial took place.
The park opened in 2020, when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province, where Yangju is located, and he approved funds to create the park and improve accessibility by building sidewalks along the road where the two girls were killed. That year, before the annual memorial was held, Lee announced the establishment of the park in a message on Twitter, now known as X, saying that the incident was "still heartbreaking."
Cars cross the road in Yangju, South Korea where two schoolgirls were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002, on June 13. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Now that Lee is president, attendees at Friday's event expressed hope he can heal the country and relations with North Korea. "One of the fundamental problems of this peninsula is division, and that means the division with North Korea and the serious political division among people," Kim Hi-heon, leader of the Hyosun Miseon Peace Park Project Committee, told Nikkei Asia.
"We want to make a political push for this government to make peaceful reunification," Kim added.
Last week, Lee ordered South Korea's military to turn off propaganda loudspeakers near the heavily militarized inter-Korean border, a measure he said could help "restore trust" between the two sides.
However, Lee faces conflicting priorities in addressing unresolved issues surrounding U.S. military bases and strengthening the military alliance with the U.S. Lee is set to make his diplomatic debut at the G7 in Canada in the coming days, with domestic headlines asking if he might be able to have his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump while there. Lee and Trump spoke by phone on June 6 in what was Lee's first official conversation with a foreign leader. During the call, Lee's office said the two presidents "emphasized the significance of the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance as the foundation of Korea's foreign policy."
A banner in Yangju, South Korea, shows Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun, who were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002. The image on the right shows the accident site. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
At a meeting like the G7, where many pressing matters, such as the conflict in the Middle East, are expected to top the agenda, Lee and Trump likely will not have much time to meet, analysts say.
"The primary task from Lee's perspective will be to just set the table for future meetings, either with Trump or between negotiators from the two countries," Mason Richey, a professor of politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, told Nikkei.
"He'll try to share stories and find something positive that sticks in Trump's mind. And in passing, they would go over some of the things that are positives, and challenges for the relationship," Richey said. While U.S. tariff announcements have caused economic anxiety, poll data indicate the U.S. is well-liked among South Koreans. It was the highest- ranking country in this year's favorability rankings by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, scoring 5.92 points out of 10, although that was a decline from 6.42 in 2024.
Protesters hold a large South Korean flag at an anti-U.S. demonstration in front of City Hall, several hundred meters from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in December 2002. © Reuters
Nevertheless, there are pockets of resentment, where some lament that as the much smaller country, South Korea can at times suffer what they see as unfair treatment by the U.S., which stations around 28,500 troops on South Korean soil. That number was larger in 2002, and Kim Yoo-young,
the host of Friday's memorial event, said the deaths of Shin and Shim illustrated the "unequal" nature of bilateral ties.
For weeks following the two girls' deaths, large crowds gathered in cities across the country to pressure the U.S., holding candlelight vigils. Candles later became a regular fixture at South Korean rallies, combining the theme of mourning with civic activism.
"The protests in 2002 were the first candlelight movement, and that's when anti-Americanism was at its peak," Joan Cho, a professor at Wesleyan University and author of "Seeds of Mobilization: The Authoritarian Roots of South Korea's Democracy."
One key point of contention was whether the soldiers would face trial in a South Korean court. Under the two countries' Status of Forces Agreement, which sets the rules under which U.S. soldiers serve in the country, the U.S. holds legal jurisdiction over the conduct of troops "done in the performance of official duty."
Mourners place flowers at a memorial for two schoolgirls killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002, on June 13 at Hyosun Miseon Peace Park in Yangju, South Korea. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Two soldiers faced charges of negligent homicide. One was driving the vehicle that killed the two girls and the other was responsible for communicating road conditions to the driver. Defense lawyers argued that the two had no intention of hitting Shin and Shim and that the accident occurred due to vehicle blind spots and communication failures with the radio equipment they were using.
The administration of then-President Kim Dae-jung filed a request with the U.S., asking it to transfer legal authority in the case to South Korea. The U.S. declined, and the anti-U.S. protests intensified after they were found not guilty by a military court martial, which deemed the case "a tragic accident without criminal culpability."
The lack of formal punishment worsened public grief that still smolders today. Kim Hi-heon, the civic group leader, who is also a pastor, said that he has long had an ambition to meet the two soldiers and attempt to convince them to return to South Korea to take part in the annual memorial event. He said that last year while on a monthlong lecture tour of the U.S. he attempted to determine their whereabouts, to no avail.
The soldiers who were at fault have suffered immensely as well, Kim said: "I want them to be released from their trauma also."
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Defense/South-Korea-s-dilemma-over-hosting-US-bases-tests-Lee-s-diplomacy
South Korea's dilemma over hosting US bases tests Lee's diplomacy
Citizens mourn two schoolgirls killed by a US military vehicle in 2002
Mourners carry portraits of Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun, who were struck and killed in 2002 by a U.S. military vehicle, at a memorial in Yangju, South Korea, on June 13. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
YANGJU, South Korea -- Near the site of one of South Korea's most emotive tragedies, dozens of mourners gathered Friday to remember the lives of two schoolgirls and hope for better times ahead.
The occasion was the annual memorial for Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo- sun, two middle school friends who lived in this mountainous village about one hour's drive north of the capital, Seoul, close to the border with North Korea. U.S. troops are stationed nearby and heavy vehicles regularly rumble along the area's narrow roads conducting exercises.
On June 13, 2002, Shim and Shin, both 14 years old, were on their way to a friend's birthday party. As they walked along a curving mountain road that did not have sidewalks, U.S. military vehicles drove up behind them. They died when they were run over by a 57-ton bridge-launching armored vehicle.
Their deaths sparked massive public protests, as thousands gathered to call for the U.S. military to apologize and for the two soldiers operating the vehicle to face charges in a South Korean court.
This year, the event went ahead with a new sense of optimism: South Korea recently emerged from six months of political chaos sparked by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, and the new president, progressive Lee Jae-myung, has pledged to work for peace with Pyongyang. On Sunday, Lee said he would work to restore dialogue channels with the North as a step toward easing tensions.
The U.S. military presence in South Korea is in place to deter aggression from North Korea. While it has mostly maintained an uneasy peace, progressive activists have long argued that the U.S. military creates safety risks for communities that host installations.
Twenty-three years after the incident, a crowd still turns out to remember the girls, testifying to the lasting pain caused by the incident and the at-times tragic history of postwar South Korea.
President Lee, who took office on June 4, comes from the political left, which has long advocated a softer line on North Korea, favoring the provision of aid and negotiations over shows of force. He has a connection to the tragedy of Shin and Shim and the park where Friday's memorial took place.
The park opened in 2020, when Lee was governor of Gyeonggi Province, where Yangju is located, and he approved funds to create the park and improve accessibility by building sidewalks along the road where the two girls were killed. That year, before the annual memorial was held, Lee announced the establishment of the park in a message on Twitter, now known as X, saying that the incident was "still heartbreaking."
Cars cross the road in Yangju, South Korea where two schoolgirls were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002, on June 13. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Now that Lee is president, attendees at Friday's event expressed hope he can heal the country and relations with North Korea. "One of the fundamental problems of this peninsula is division, and that means the division with North Korea and the serious political division among people," Kim Hi-heon, leader of the Hyosun Miseon Peace Park Project Committee, told Nikkei Asia.
"We want to make a political push for this government to make peaceful reunification," Kim added.
Last week, Lee ordered South Korea's military to turn off propaganda loudspeakers near the heavily militarized inter-Korean border, a measure he said could help "restore trust" between the two sides.
However, Lee faces conflicting priorities in addressing unresolved issues surrounding U.S. military bases and strengthening the military alliance with the U.S. Lee is set to make his diplomatic debut at the G7 in Canada in the coming days, with domestic headlines asking if he might be able to have his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump while there. Lee and Trump spoke by phone on June 6 in what was Lee's first official conversation with a foreign leader. During the call, Lee's office said the two presidents "emphasized the significance of the [South Korea]-U.S. alliance as the foundation of Korea's foreign policy."
A banner in Yangju, South Korea, shows Shim Mi-seon and Shin Hyo-sun, who were killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002. The image on the right shows the accident site. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
At a meeting like the G7, where many pressing matters, such as the conflict in the Middle East, are expected to top the agenda, Lee and Trump likely will not have much time to meet, analysts say.
"The primary task from Lee's perspective will be to just set the table for future meetings, either with Trump or between negotiators from the two countries," Mason Richey, a professor of politics at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, told Nikkei.
"He'll try to share stories and find something positive that sticks in Trump's mind. And in passing, they would go over some of the things that are positives, and challenges for the relationship," Richey said. While U.S. tariff announcements have caused economic anxiety, poll data indicate the U.S. is well-liked among South Koreans. It was the highest- ranking country in this year's favorability rankings by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, scoring 5.92 points out of 10, although that was a decline from 6.42 in 2024.
Protesters hold a large South Korean flag at an anti-U.S. demonstration in front of City Hall, several hundred meters from the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in December 2002. © Reuters
Nevertheless, there are pockets of resentment, where some lament that as the much smaller country, South Korea can at times suffer what they see as unfair treatment by the U.S., which stations around 28,500 troops on South Korean soil. That number was larger in 2002, and Kim Yoo-young,
the host of Friday's memorial event, said the deaths of Shin and Shim illustrated the "unequal" nature of bilateral ties.
For weeks following the two girls' deaths, large crowds gathered in cities across the country to pressure the U.S., holding candlelight vigils. Candles later became a regular fixture at South Korean rallies, combining the theme of mourning with civic activism.
"The protests in 2002 were the first candlelight movement, and that's when anti-Americanism was at its peak," Joan Cho, a professor at Wesleyan University and author of "Seeds of Mobilization: The Authoritarian Roots of South Korea's Democracy."
One key point of contention was whether the soldiers would face trial in a South Korean court. Under the two countries' Status of Forces Agreement, which sets the rules under which U.S. soldiers serve in the country, the U.S. holds legal jurisdiction over the conduct of troops "done in the performance of official duty."
Mourners place flowers at a memorial for two schoolgirls killed by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002, on June 13 at Hyosun Miseon Peace Park in Yangju, South Korea. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Two soldiers faced charges of negligent homicide. One was driving the vehicle that killed the two girls and the other was responsible for communicating road conditions to the driver. Defense lawyers argued that the two had no intention of hitting Shin and Shim and that the accident occurred due to vehicle blind spots and communication failures with the radio equipment they were using.
The administration of then-President Kim Dae-jung filed a request with the U.S., asking it to transfer legal authority in the case to South Korea. The U.S. declined, and the anti-U.S. protests intensified after they were found not guilty by a military court martial, which deemed the case "a tragic accident without criminal culpability."
The lack of formal punishment worsened public grief that still smolders today. Kim Hi-heon, the civic group leader, who is also a pastor, said that he has long had an ambition to meet the two soldiers and attempt to convince them to return to South Korea to take part in the annual memorial event. He said that last year while on a monthlong lecture tour of the U.S. he attempted to determine their whereabouts, to no avail.
The soldiers who were at fault have suffered immensely as well, Kim said: "I want them to be released from their trauma also."