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A just reparation and compensation for the village people should be undertaken. The extent and the causes for compensation are wide and many. The village people have already filed a lawsuit seeking 21.61 billion won ($18.8 million) in compensation for suffering related to the bombing and strafing drills that have taken place there over the past decades. In the written complaint, they demanded the government pay 10 million won to each of the residents, claiming that they have been suffering from exhaust fumes, tremors and extreme noise caused by the machine-gunning and bombing that has taken place at the shooting range since 1952.

In order to undertake a just reparation for the losses and suffering of the people, an independent, neutral and inclusive investigation committee (involving the local village people in the fullest) must be established entrusted to examine and review the entire situation, including the health of the village people, the destruction of life, loss of income, damages to their lives, homes, and life environment. Environmental impact evaluation -- and the consequent measures for reparation and compensation -- should be a central part of this effort.

Korean People and the U.S. -- the basis of a just and equal relationship

The start of this effort lies in the effort to correct all the "wrongs" in the current SOFA agreement.

Maehyang-ri has given impetus to the campaign to overhaul the SOFA that defines the status, responsibility, prerogatives of the U.S. Armed Forces in Korea. As the Korean government has "admitted", there is no legal ground to require the U.S. Air Force to compensate and repair the damages. In order to establish the "legal grounds", SOFA must be changed.

These measures are just the start of the effort to undo the deep-rooted damages and strains between the people of Korea and the U.S. A genuine effort to restore justice and equality as the central guiding principle of the relationship between the peoples of Korean and U.S. can only start with a recognition of the current injustice and inequality, and the causes for them.