A total of 13 U.S. military bases in five South Korean cities _ Uijongbu, Tongduchon, Paju, Chunchon and Pusan _ will come into the hands of Koreans from 2005 to 2006, an earlier-than-expected return of land by the American troops.

Nine of the 13 bases, including Camp Falling Water in Uijongbu, Camp Page in Chunchon and Camp Hialeah in Pusan, will be returned by the end of next year, about five to six years ahead of the original schedule.

Seoul and Washington agreed on Saturday on the realignment of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), including the relocation of the main Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul. Almost all the American forces, except a minimum number of liaison officers, will leave the Korean capital by 2008, one year behind the previous plan.

The agreement was reached at the two nations' military alliance talks, dubbed the Future of the Alliance (FOTA) meeting, held July 22 and 23 in Washington. Delegates from the two sides also brought a prompt end to negotiations to revise the LPP (Land Partnership Plan), bringing the U.S. troop cut plan onto a faster track.

According to the agreement, the amount of land currently used by U.S. troops will decline from 73.2 million pyong (24,198 hectares) to 25.1 million pyong (8,314 hectares) when the land plan is completed by 2011.

As for the Yongsan base, the U.S. will return about 1.18 million pyong (390 hectares) of land to Seoul, and in return will be given some 3.49 million pyong (1,154 hectares) in Pyongtaek, 70km south of Seoul, for its new compound.

Although the decade-long negotiation has came to an end, the just-signed agreement must be ratified by the National Assembly, possibly in September _ a procedure that is expected to face further difficulties due to some clauses that critics claim as problematic.

Many Koreans have been dissatisfied at the financial burden, estimated at $3 billion to $4 billion (3.5 trillion to 4.7 trillion won), which will be put solely on the shoulders of Korean taxpayers. A number of Pyongtaek residents are also reluctant to give their land to the U.S. troops.

Source: Agencies