S. Korea, U.S. to meet over legal status of American forces in S.Korea

SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the United States are planning to hold a meeting next month over the agreement defining legal status of U.S. forces here following two rape cases involving U.S. soldiers, local media reported Monday.

The meeting on the Status of Forces Agreement came as South Korea considered gaining more legal jurisdiction over some 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the country, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Two separate rape cases implicating two U.S. soldiers have prompted angry calls here for revisions to the agreement, despite official apologies offered by the U.S. forces in South Korea.

The U.S. military has temporarily reinstated a curfew, citing issues of "personal discipline."

The American military presence in South Korea, a U.S. ally, is a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.