SEOUL, April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force will agree to shut down a firing range in South Korea which nearby residents say has affected their health and damaged their homes.
The Koon-ni Range south of Seoul has been in operation for 54 years since the 1950-53 Korean War. But officials from the South Korean Defense Ministry and the U.S. military told the Korea Times an official announcement will be forthcoming.
The Times reported that under the agreement, Seoul will take control of the Koon-ni Range in Maehyang-ri, a West Sea fishing village, from the U.S. air force by August 2005.
The Maehyang-ri residents claimed in a 1998 suit that they suffered physical injuries, hearing impairment and damage to homes and livestock from shooting and bombing exercises.
South Korea and the United States reportedly reached a basic agreement on the firing range during the visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld to Seoul for the annual Security Consultative Meeting in November.
