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US
military carried out anthrax & bubonic plague tests in S. Korea –
probe
RT,
18
December, 2015
The
US military has conducted 16 clandestine tests with samples of
anthrax and one experiment with bubonic plague since 2009, a joint
US-South Korean investigation has revealed. Samples were tested at a
US military base, but also in South Korea’s capital, Seoul.
The
results of the investigation, led by a joint US-South Korean group,
contradict previous statements by the Pentagon that anthrax was
tested only once at an American military base outside Seoul.
Back
then, USFK command said it used anthrax samples only once, claiming
they were “accidentally” shipped
to the US Osan airbase outside Seoul, exposing 22 lab personnel to
the deadly agent. None of the workers exposed was eventually
infected.
"We
confirmed that US Forces Korea imported inactivated Bacillus
anthracis [anthrax] test samples as well as inactivated Yersinia
pestis [bubonic plague] samples for detection and identification
training,"said
Major General Chang Kyung-soo, director general for policy planning
at South Korea's Defense Ministry and co-chair of the investigation
group on Thursday.
The
public in South Korea remains highly skeptical of the results of the
investigation, as the probe was based only on materials provided by
the US military, while Korean investigators were given just one day
to access the lab at Osan airbase, according to Korean daily Chosun
Ilbo.
KimcheeGI
S.Koreans demonstrate against the accidental mailing of anthrax specimens to a USAF Lab in Osan AB.
Amid
mounting pressure from the public, Seoul and Washington have sealed a
legally-binding agreement that facilitates new rules for shipping
biological samples by the US. From now on the USFK has to report the
quantity, type and purpose of any biological samples, as well as
provide information about the senders and recipients, with the Korea
Customs Service having the authority to oversee the shipments.
Last
year the USFK launched the so-called JUPITR program, which is aimed
at tackling what is perceived to be an increasing threat of
biological weapons attack by North Korea. The US and South Korea also
conduct an annual military exercise, Key Resolve, which is said to
train forces in eliminating weapons of mass destruction (WMDs),
including biological weapons.
Anthrax
is an acute disease caused by the bacteria called Bacillus anthracis.
Most forms of the disease are lethal, affecting mostly animals.
Anthrax can, however, be transmitted to humans through contact with
infected meat, and is widespread in under-developed countries which
don’t have broad veterinary and healthcare services.
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