Seoul says it will decontaminate U.S. military sites that will be returned to South Korea even before concluding discussions with Washington on which side will take responsibility for cleaning up contamination if necessary and how much cost they will shoulder for such efforts. 

A senior official at the South Korean government relayed the stance on Friday, hours after the U.S. agreed to return 12 bases used by the American military, including sections of Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul. 

The official said swift clean-ups of the base sites may be necessary to protect the public's health, but ensured that the two allies will continue talks on related responsibility and costs. 

Regarding when the entire Yongsan Garrison will be returned, the official said it is too early to say, linking the matter to the remaining project to relocate the rest of the base to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. 

The official said the return of the base will be completed only when the relocation project is finished, but made sure the government will closely discuss the matter with the U.S. so the issue will not disrupt Seoul’s plan to build a public park in the Yongsan site. The Yongsan sections the U.S. agreed to return in the day only account for two-point-six percent of the overall grounds.