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In a rare suprapartisan move, the entire political circle called yesterday for the revision of unfair and outdated clauses in the Status of (U.S.) Forces Agreement (SOFA).

"Some aspects of the SOFA are too one-sided and seem to define Korea as a third-rate country," said ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Rep. Ahn Dong-sun, a key member of the parliament's National Defense Committee. "Revising it is the task of our times."

The lawmaker's remarks, echoed by his counterparts in the two opposition parties, came amid mounting demands for an overall revision of the Korea-U.S. accord. A recent series of mishaps involving American troops here, including a U.S. fighter dropping bombs near a farming village and a G.I.'s escape and recapture after murdering a Korean woman have soured public sentiment towards the U.S. military presence.

Rep. Ahn said that though a few isolated incidents should not drive the government to make hasty decisions, some clauses in the SOFA failed to reflect changing circumstances here and needed to be revised.

"Since 1995, both Korea and the United States have discussed SOFA revision but have made little substantive headway," he said.

The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) also issued official statements pointing out the problems with the treaty.

In the statement, the GNP said that U.S. warplanes' alleged use of uranium bullets should also be investigated thoroughly by military authorities as it constituted a serious danger to the environment and public health.

Chang Kwang-keun, a GNP spokesman, said that the agreement signed between Korea and the U.S. was the least fair of all the treaties of its kind worldwide, and called for talks to be held immediately to rectify this situation.

He also cited as problematic clauses governing Korea's jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel and their families and Seoul's financial support for U.S. forces stationed in Korea by allowing them to freely use public land and other benefits. He added that these should be subject to National Assembly review.

The SOFA revision issue is likely to be tackled by a policy coordination committee, observers said, adding that the parliament might adopt a statement calling for immediate and appropriate government action.

The SOFA, which was completed in 1966 to outline the rights of U.S. servicemen in Korea, has been revised only once, in 1991. The two sides agreed then to give Korean courts the right to judge all criminal cases involving U.S. personnel.

Until then, only serious cases involving offenses like murder and rape were tried at Korean courts. The two countries had agreed to hold revision talks this month, but postponed them to a later date, a Foreign Ministry official said.