Pyeongtaek: South Korea and the United States held a regular joint committee meeting of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Friday and discussed the protection of U.S. military facilities and other bilateral issues, the foreign ministry said. SOFA governs the legal status of the 28,500 U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) troops stationed in South Korea.

According to Yonhap News Agency, during the 205th ROK-U.S. SOFA Joint Committee meeting at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, the two sides discussed the protection of U.S. military facilities, environmental management, immigration procedures, and other key pending issues. ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name.

They also reviewed progress made over the past two years since the previous meeting in November 2023 and agreed to move swiftly on SOFA-related consultations concerning the relocation and return of U.S. military bases.

Both sides stressed that SOFA remains a core pillar of the alliance and pledged to maintain close coordination on related issues, the ministry said. Friday's meeting was co-chaired by Hong Ji-pyo, director-general for North American affairs at the foreign ministry, and USFK Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. David Iverson, it added.