Negotiations on SOFA to resume in Seoul Thursday

South Korea-U.S. negotiations on revising the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) will resume Thursday in Seoul, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) said Tuesday.

A high-ranking government official said that the two sides agreed to resume the negotiations in line with the will of the heads of the state of both countries and to wrap up the matter of revising the SOFA as soon as possible.

¡°We will do our best to settle the issue before the term of U.S. President Bill Clinton expires on Jan. 20 next year,¡± the official said.

Chief delegates of both countries, Song Min-Soon, director general of North American affairs at the MOFAT, and Frederic Smith, deputy vice minister of the Pentagon in charge of Asian-Pacific affairs, have spoken with each other over the phone and made considerable progress in the negotiations.

However, it is reported that differences remain on some issues, such as criminal jurisdiction, environment, quarantine, civil suits and taxation on facilities like casinos and golf courses.