The Korean Army is going to take over medical records of Korean soldiers under the United States Army, a.k.a Korean Augmentation Troops to the U.S. Army (KATUSA), in Korea from the U.S. Army. From next month, KATUSA reserves will be able to check their medical records easily.
Korean Army's Records Center said that the center and U.S. 65th Medical Brigade signed a written agreement on May 6 agreeing to transfer KATUSA's medical records saved in U.S. Army to Korean Army.
The agreement was made as two sides shared common grounds to exchange medical information quickly in case people need those records as references in civil complaints.
Even though KATUSA is clearly a Korean troops, medical records of KATUSAs have been managed by U.S. Army hospital so far and they are kept in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) after KATUSAs are discharged from the service. KATUSA reserves have to go through complex process before being authorized to see their own medical records, such as apply for the records online on NARA web site and receive records via mail after long days. Korean and U.S. Army agreed to ease such inconvenience.
Under the agreement, Korean Army's Records Center is scheduled to take over medical records of KATUSA reserves who were discharged after January 2008 beginning next month. Also active-duty KATUSA troops can receive their own records within a month from Republic of Korean Army Support Group after being discharged. Reserves can only call Korean Army's Records Center to see their records and receive them right away.
"Through this agreement, we were able to settle civil complaints related to medical records of KATUSA reserves," said Col. Yun Yong-ki, head of Korean Records Center of the Army. "We will keep on discovering civil matters that should be improved."
RoK MoD
