Stars & Stripes

But following those preliminary inspections at Pohang and Yongsan, South Korea and USFK struck an agreement a month ago to allow for more inspections of U.S. bases to seek Korean artifacts and treasures, said officials from both nations.

The administration is eager to do more searches to discover artifacts and architecture that may document Korea’s past, according to Yoon. “The agreement lays the foundation in inspecting Korea national treasures systematically at the U.S. bases,” he said.

The Cultural Properties Administration is to take the lead on the inspections, though USFK must approve the site visits, both sides said.

Yoon said he hopes to gather information on possible artifacts, other burial mounds and architecture on U.S. military bases throughout the country. His agency also is interested in gathering data on animals and plants that might be indigenous to such areas.