SOFA committee discusses ways to boost exchanges between Koreans, U.S. troops

South Korea and the United States on Monday discussed ways to boost exchanges between local residents and American troops stationed here, the foreign ministry said.

The two sides held a regular meeting of the ROK-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) Joint Committee at the ministry in Seoul, the ministry said. SOFA governs the legal status of the 28,500 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) soldiers stationed in South Korea.

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea’s official name.

The meeting was led by Kim Jun-pyo, director general for North American affairs, and Lt. Gen. Scott Pleus, the USFK deputy commander.

At the meeting, the joint committee agreed to continue to push for new civil-military projects that “can strengthen friendship between the Korean people and USFK in the future,” it said in a press release.

The committee also recognized the need for allies’ collaboration on illegal drug awareness and prevention, and the U.S. expressed thanks to the Korean side for producing and sharing an educational video on South Korean laws on drugs.

The allies agreed to continue close consultations to expedite the relocation and return of U.S. military bases in South Korea, as part of efforts to strengthen their combined defense posture.

South Korea and the U.S. have regularly held meetings on the civil-military relations under the SOFA Joint Committee to help foster stronger ties between local residents and U.S. military personnel.