I've been talking about the SOFA agreements for the last month, and how at least one Iraqi official WANTS the US to stay in Iraq. What I wonder is, IF Iraq passes a SOFA agreement that would keep US troops in Iraq on bases, would whoever, Democrat OR Republican, becomes president be able to change that? Would he or she WANT to? What about asking the candidates about this NOW? Very explicitly.

President George W. Bush would like to see a lengthy U.S. troop presence in

South Korean political circle called on May 17 for the revision of unfair and outdated clause in the SOFA.

Pointing out that some aspects of the SOFA were too one-sided, Rep. An Dong-sun of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party said, "Revising it is the task of our times." Following his remarks, the biggest opposition Grand National Party also issued official statements pointing out the problems with the treaty and calling for talks to rectify the agreement.

The recent explosion of the anti-U.S. sentiment is gathering momentum on the heels of the Rogun-ri massacre revealed by an AP news report in November last year, in which hundreds of civilians were killed by the air bombardment and machine guns of the U.S. troops during the early stage of the Korean War. The U.S.'s involvement in spraying defoliants, "Agent Orange" in the DMZ in the 1960s and high-profile criminal cases including murder cases by GIs of young south Korean women have again soured public sentiments toward U.S. military presence and triggered "Yankee, Go Home!" voices.

There are 37,000 servicemen stationed in 96 difference places in south Korea. "There are several countries which have been occupied by the U.S. armed forces in the world, but none enjoy such absolute privileges as in south Korea. In short, south Korea is a heaven for the U.S. armed forces," the People's Action for Reform of the Unjust U.S.-South Korea SOFA said.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) is an agreement that stipulates the lawful status of the U.S. Forces in south Korea, which was concluded in 1966.

Even after the partial revision of the SOFA in 1991, most unfair items limiting the south's rights remain unchanged. In exchange for the revision of some insignificant articles, the U.S. demanded the south pay an enormous share of the cost of the USFK's staying in the land.

The unfair agreement supports indulgence of lots of crimes committed by the U.S. servicemen. As the criminal jurisdiction are not acknowledged to the south side, because of that, crimes committed by the U.S. soldiers, which are believed to average 2,000 cases a year, are not properly punished. Cases are increasing in number, and they are getting crueler.

The U.S. supported military dictators' regimes in the south and has oppressed south Korean people who have tried to change unequal relations between the two sides and called for democratization and independence, dismissing their demands. The USFK has maintained special privileges with its "lofty" mission for the defense and security of the Korean Peninsula, but such arrogance and a sense of despise often stir up anti-U.S. sentiment among the masses.