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Vets of Vietnam: Korean G.I.'s Die of Agent Orange

By VVAW

From Summer 1992 Vietnam Today—Newsletter of the US/Vietnam Friendship Association

The South Korean Veterans of Foreign Wars Association reported April 28 that over 50 veterans of the US war in Vietnam died from exposure to Agent Orange herbicide used by the Pentagon during the war.

According to the Association, since January 512 veterans have reported that they were suffering from various diseases they believed were caused by exposure to Agent Orange.

Among the reported symptoms were weakness of the limbs, skin disorders (chloracne), numbness and partial paralysis, but medical treatment has been poor because their illnesses were not properly diagnosed. Dr. Lee In Ho of the Veterans Hospital said he believed at least another 500 Korean veterans were suffering from exposure to the defoliant.

Under US pressure, some 312,000 South Korean troops were sent by their government to fight in Vietnam, alongside Americans and other allied forces during the war; defense ministry figures in Seoul signify 4,624 were killed in action.

US veterans have been seeking compensation for their Agent Orange-related health problems, but with little success.