Agent Orange Korea & Okinawa: Confronting Agent Orange – Analysis

Forty years after the Vietnam War, South Korea and Japan have been rocked by allegations about the use of the chemical on U.S. bases. A series of recent confessions by U.S. veterans has lent credibility to the allegation that a considerable amount of Agent Orange was illegitimately used and buried in both South Korean and Japanese soil.

South Korea and Japan are thousands of kilometers away from Vietnam, and neither country has any jungle within its territory. This makes it hard to fathom why the chemical might have been used.

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Agent Orange Korea: SGT. SHAFT: Vet asks where to find list of units exposed to Agent Orange

Dear Sgt Shaft:

Where can I find a list of units presumed exposed to Agent Orange while in service in Korea? Thanks

Larry A.
Via the Internet

Dear Larry:

Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) anytime between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, and who have a disease VA recognizes as associated with Agent Orange exposure are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. These veterans do not have to show they were exposed to Agent Orange to get disability compensation for these diseases.

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SGTAgent Orange Korea - SHAFT: Vet asks where to find list of units exposed to Agent Orange

Image compliments Rich Preston, Viet vet

Dear Sgt Shaft:

Where can I find a list of units presumed exposed to Agent Orange while in service in Korea? Thanks

Larry A.
Via the Internet

Dear Larry:

Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) anytime between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, and who have a disease VA recognizes as associated with Agent Orange exposure are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. These veterans do not have to show they were exposed to Agent Orange to get disability compensation for these diseases.

The Source

AO Korea: Agent Orange found at U.S. S. Korea base

Image compliments Rich Preston, Vietnam vet exposed to AO

Investigators said they found traces of the toxic chemical Agent Orange in and around Camp Carroll, a U.S. military facility in South Korea.

A team of local and U.S. specialists found traces of 2,4,5-T, a key component of cancer-causing defoliant in five groundwater wells tested at the base in Chilgok, the team said Friday.

The levels of contamination were below what the World Health Organization permits for drinkable water, officials said.

Investigators said they also found a high level of volatile organic compounds, exceeding 900 times guidelines permit for drinking water, which could pose a risk to human health.

Team members said they will be take action to stop people who live near the base from drinking the water until further studies can locate the exact source of the contamination.

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Agent Orange Korea: Vets Helping Vets, www.MYVETERA.org, David Apperson

Image compliments of Rich Preston, Vietnam vet exposed to AO

If you are a Veteran or family member to a Veteran and

you have a story you would like to share with the

Korean people in regard to you suffering from exposure

to Agent Orange or other herbicides while you were

stationed in Korea please contact :



South Korean Agent Orange Media Contact

Seung Gwan Lee, Washington Correspondent



Yonhap News Agency (Similar to the Associated Press and

Reuters News Service)

914 National Press Building

529 14th St NW

Washington DC 20045



Office: 202.783.5539

Cell #: 571.528.0555



If you would like to talk with someone before hand

contact David Apperson, Vets Helping Vets at

817.937.5366 or contact the leadership of th e"Korean

War Project"



Thank you very kindly, ... David

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Agent Orange Korea: South Korea launches health probe for villages near Camp Carroll

Image compliments Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran exposed to agent orange

South Korea launched a health investigation this week to determine whether Agent Orange allegedly buried at Camp Carroll more than three decades ago has made residents of nearby villages sick.

The Ministry, along with the National Institute of Environmental Research, began the investigation on Wednesday following a request on Monday from Chilgok County officials.

About 6,500 people in 8 villages, all within one kilometer of the base, will be eligible to participate in the survey.

A Ministry of Environment official said as many as 3,000 people are expected to participate in the survey’s initial phase, which will consist of voluntary interviews about their health and is expected to last through the end of the year.

Officials will then collect blood, hair and urine samples from residents with health problems that could be linked to chemical exposure, and if needed conduct more extensive health examinations in local public health centers and university hospitals, according to a Ministry of Environment news release. The ministry official said the entire process could last through June 2012.

The survey team will include approximately 10 health and environmental experts from South Korean universities and the National Institute of Environmental Research. Nursing students and local volunteers will conduct the initial health interviews, said Kim Geun Bae, a NIER senior researcher and team member.

He said officials will look for diseases including leukemia, kidney and esophageal cancer that may be connected to Agent Orange and other chemicals.

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Agent Orange (Korea): U.S. Veterans Asked To Help Korean Government Investigation

Image compliments Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran exposed to agent orange

Uncovering the reality of Monsanto and Agent Orange in South Korea.

The Chairman of the Korean National Sub-Committee asked Steward to help in obtaining statements from Korean veterans about their probably exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides. Statements can be emailed to Steward’s attention at pesteward@hotmail.com.

Korean veterans who know or suspect probable use or exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides should include in their emails their expressed written approval to provide information to the Korean government. together with name, unit you served with, dates of Korean service, Camp, and full current mailing and e-mail addresses and your phone number to share with the Korean Sub-Committee.

As many know, I was invited to travel to Korea by the Korean National Assembly to testify before a Sub-Committee investigating numerous issues regarding use and disposal of Toxic Herbicides, including Agent Orange, in Korea in the 1960s and 1970s. The purpose of my trip was to try to get the U. S. Departments of Defense, Army and Veterans Affairs to reveal the full and transparent truth about the use of herbicides in Korea. My intent was to tell the Korean Government what we know about the use of herbicides and to join with them to demand the U. S. Government tell the complete truth to both the Korean people and the thousands of American Veterans who were poisoned by these toxic chemicals.

Please review the text of my testimony below. And please keep in mind that if we can help the Korean people get the information and truth they are seeking, we will also be getting the truth we need for the hundreds of VA Claims waiting to justice for Korean Service Vets and their families.

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AO Korea: Millions of Familes effected by the widespread use of AO in South Korea from 1967 to 1971 during the DMZ war

I received an email with a request to add this information to our site. Attached was the above article.

I do believe I have some information about the spraying of agent orange along the DMZ. I don't know if I have enough but I do have some.

If anyone has some links online that would help the families effected please do email me at aoelgacy@gmail.com. I will add the links to this site.

You will find the existing links at http://www.agentorangelegacy.blogspot.com under the heading: Agent Orange Korea.

Image compliments of Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran exposed to agent orange

Agent Orange Korea: 2 veterans urge S. Korean lawmakers to pressure U.S. over Agent Orange

Image compliments Danielle Reyes, co-founder AO Legacy,
Daughter of deceased American Vietnam veteran and AO Victim

In testimony that was critical of the U.S. military and at times emotional, two U.S. veterans asked South Korean lawmakers Monday to pressure their American counterparts to admit the U.S. extensively used Agent Orange here in the 1960s and 1970s.

“I’ve taken this as far as I can take it,” former soldier Steve House said, wiping away tears as he spoke to seven National Assembly members and dozens of reporters in Seoul.

“This wasn’t (done by) the American people, you know,” the Phoenix-area resident and father of two said. “Nobody I know would do something like this intentionally.”

“Agent Orange didn’t stay on the DMZ,” Steward said. “Agent Orange was sprayed through a wide, wide area of South Korea.”

“We were told, ‘It’s totally safe and it won’t hurt you at all,’” he said. “We were told, ‘You can drink it, you can brush your teeth with it, or you can bathe in it. It won’t hurt you. Those were lies.”

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Agent Orange Korea: S Koreans protest US pollutant dumping

Hundreds of South Koreans have taken to the streets of the capital Seoul to protest against life-threatening pollution caused by the dumping of the chemical Agent Orange by US forces in 1978.


The protesters say that former US servicemen seeking medical support have admitted to dumping the toxic chemicals in South Korea's soil in 1978. The chemicals were the leftovers of those American forces used to kill and maim hundreds of thousands in Vietnam, a Press TV correspondent reported.



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Other Stories:
Vet visits base in South Korea where he says Agent Orange was buried

Agent Orange Korea: Remorseful U.S. veterans apologize for burying toxic chemicals in S. Korea

Image compliments of Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran

"Had I known 42 years ago how dangerous these chemicals were and what they were going to do to me, my men and citizens and villagers around the area," House said, "I'm afraid I would have refused the order to spray them."

Two visiting American veterans on Monday offered an apology before South Korea's parliament for burying toxic Agent Orange on the nation's U.S. military bases decades ago, urging a thorough investigation into the sites and people who may have been affected by the toxic herbicide.

House said he and his colleagues participated in the burial work, hauling rusty, olive-green 55-gallon barrels, some bearing an orange stripe and yellow lettering that read "Chemical Agent, Type: Orange" and dated 1967. Although they first worked with gas masks fitted with orange, combat-ready filters, the soldiers were not required to wear them due to heat and humidity.

After returning home for his next duty assignment, House said he continued to suffer conditions such as skin rashes, a cough, neuropathy, eye problems and post traumatic stress disorder.

The Source

Other articles to consider same subject:

• Ex-U.S. soldier: I helped bury drums
• U.S. veteran arrives in S. Korea over alleged burial of toxic chemical

Agent Orange Korea: Tests show metal where veterans claim to have buried Agent Orange

A joint Investigative team of U.S. and Korean officials found evidence of metal drums buried on a U.S. military base in South Korea. These results are crucial, because they show there is in fact something suspicious in the exact spot where a valley veteran and two other soldiers say they buried Agent Orange in 55-gallon metal drums, three decades ago.

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Agent Orange Korea: 'US dumped Agent Orange in S Korea'

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An independent California-based research institute says the US army has dumped hundreds of barrels of toxic chemicals, including Agent Orange, in South Korea.

“Hazardous materials and waste, including solvents, petroleum oils and lubricants, pesticides, herbicides and other industrial chemicals have been used and stored onsite for over 40 years,” it said.

The US also used the carcinogenic chemical in Korea, along the de-militarized zone, to defoliate the forests and prevent North Koreans from crossing the border.

Image compliments Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran

Agent Orange Korea: Officials: More testing at Camp Carroll after objects detected underground

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A joint U.S.-South Korean investigation team will begin further ground testing at Camp Carroll this week after initial surveys detected underground objects in an area where several veterans claim they once buried Agent Orange, according to the U.S. military.

However, U.S. and South Korean officials cautioned that they do not know what the buried objects are, and the presence of underground “anomalies” did not mean they have found drums of Agent Orange or anything to support the veterans’ claims.

Agent Orange buried under military base?

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The joint South Korean-U.S. investigation said it detected unidentified metal objects buried beneath a helipad at Camp Carroll in Chilgok, some 180 miles southeast of Seoul.

Officials are drilling into the site to extract samples for testing. The results are expected in August.

The U.S. military admitted to burying the chemical but said it was removed from the country in the late 1970s.

Agent Orange Korea; Drum-like objects detected in probe for Agent Orange

Drum-like objects detected in probe for Agent Orange

“According to the results of the geophysical survey on Helipad Area 1, the joint investigation team agreed to collect core soil samples on a total of 40 locations in the area identified as the alleged burial site of Agent Orange,” the team said in a press release.

Colonel Birchmeier, the other co-chair, said the planned test of soil samples will “answer at least one of the two questions that the team has ― whether the health of those living on Camp Carroll or outside the camp is under threat, and potentially the second one ― whether drums of Agent Orange are actually buried here.”

Agent Orange Korea: Joint team says metallic substances discovered under U.S. camp

Joint team says metallic substances discovered under U.S. camp

A joint South Korea-U.S. investigation team confirmed on Friday that it has detected what could be metallic drums buried under a U.S. military base where containers of toxic defoliant were allegedly dumped decades ago.

Announcing results of an interim probe, the team said it detected unidentified metal objects beneath a helipad located at Camp Carroll in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The finding of what the team said could be drums is important because it matches allegations raised in May by some retired American soldiers that they were ordered to help bury a bunch of drums containing the toxic defoliant Agent Orange while they served military terms here in the late 1970's.

Image compliments of Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran

Agent Orange Korea: USFK verified toxins in 2004, investigation reveals

USFK verified toxins in 2004, investigation reveals

Amid an ongoing examination by a joint South Korean-U.S. investigation team into allegations that Agent Orange was buried at the U.S. base of Camp Carroll in the Waegwan Township of North Gyeongsang’s Chilgok County, it emerged Monday that United States Forces Korea (USFK) previously verified the presence of a pit containing buried chemicals within the camp during a 2004 investigation. Analysts say the revelation is likely to cause controversy, as USFK did not previously notify the South Korean government of its findings.

According to a draft report obtained by the Hankyoreh on Monday for a preliminary study for treatment of environmental pollution in Camp Carroll, the U.S. military discovered indications of a burial site within the camp measuring 25 meters in length, 14 meters in width, and six meters in depth in 2004. Following a subsequent soil study, the U.S. military confirmed contamination with high concentrations of highly carcinogenic perchloroethylene (PCE). Also detected were pesticides, heavy metals, and components of dioxin, which is connected to Agent Orange.

Environmental groups are demanding that the U.S. military disclose all its information about environmental contamination and expand the scope of regions under investigation to include the whole of Camp Carroll.

Hong Hee-deok, a lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee, said, “For all intents and purposes, the U.S. military deceived the South Korean government.”

“The U.S. military needs to disclose information in a transparent manner about the places where it has conducted environmental contamination studies,” Hong added.

Image compliments Rich Preston, Vietnam veteran

Agent Orange Korea - U.S. military: No Agent Orange at South Korea base

U.S. military: No Agent Orange at South Korea base

Environmental reports released Thursday by the U.S. military show hazardous chemicals that were stored at Camp Carroll since at least the early 1960s were often haphazardly stored and disposed of, but the U.S. military says it has yet to find any evidence of Agent Orange contamination at the base.

The survey also shows that contamination from two solvents – trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene – led to the shutting down and treatment of contaminated wells at the base, Col. Joseph Birchmeier, a U.S. Forces Korea engineer, said Thursday at a press conference at Camp Carroll.

He said water samples have also been taken from 22 wells on Camp Carroll, and the results of those tests, as well as ground-penetrating radar and magnetometer surveys would be released at an unspecified date.

AO Korea: No trace of Agent Orange found in S.Korea after dumping claim

No trace of Agent Orange found in S.Korea after dumping claim

"To date, no evidence of Agent Orange has been discovered either on Camp Carroll or in the adjacent community," the U.S. 8th Army said in a statement.

The finding were the result of "non-intrusive" surveys using radar and magnetometer on the locations identified in the testimony and tests on water samples taken from areas outside the camp, it said. Results of tests on water samples from wells on the base have yet to be released.

Further tests were scheduled through mid-July and more might be conducted later, it said.