US finally to return 12 military sites to S Korea Reuters, SEOUL The US military yesterday agreed to return 12 sites to South Korea, including some in central Seoul, clearing the way for civilian construction projects after years of squabbling over the hand-back. US forces have been stationed in South Korea since the 1950 to 1953 Korean War. In the past few years, the allies have disputed the cost of maintaining the 28,500 US personnel at various bases despite what many see as a growing North Korean threat. The 12 sites are among 80 that US Forces Korea (USFK) agreed in 2002 to hand over to South Korea for redevelopment, but the plans have been delayed by haggling over cleanup costs.