In a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Bishop John Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee warned that “our relations with such an important ally, especially in these times of heightened danger to world peace and security, need very careful attention.”
Bishop Ricard forwarded to Rumsfeld the concerns of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea that the Korean Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), despite recent revisions, contains elements “which are still unequal, unjust and infringe on the sovereignty of the Korean people.”
The perception among Koreans of unequal treatment in the SOFA is “provoking new and widespread anti-USA sentiment among the Korean people, who in fact feel that their national pride and sovereignty have been undermined and trampled underfoot,” said a letter from Archbishop Andrew Choi Chang-mou of Kwangju, president of the Korean bishops’ conference.
SOFA governs the presence of U.S. military personnel, civilian support staff, and their dependents in South Korea. Among its provisions is one for handling criminal activity by Americans stationed there.
