Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Veterans from Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) who once stood on opposing sides of the American war more than thirty years ago, are now cooperating in an effort to aid the victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin sprayed in Viet Nam by the US army.

A delegation from the Viet Nam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (VAVA), led by Vice Chairman Do Xuan Dien, visited the RoK on April 9, to gain insights into its experiences in conducting lawsuits against the US chemical companies.

“The war has gone. We are willing to put the past aside to befriend people from all countries, even if they used to stand opposite to us in the battlefield. We are considering accelerating the process of conducting lawsuits against the AO/dioxin producers, and we need to learn from the RoK experiences in this regard,” Dien said in an interview with the Viet Nam News Agency correspondent in Seoul.

Seo Cheoul Jae, Vice President of the AO-Connected Disabled Veterans of the RoK, said his association has opened representative offices in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to share the RoK context with the Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims.

The RoK sent around 320,000 troops to Viet Nam during the American war and it is estimated that nearly half of them became victims of the toxicants sprayed by their own side. RoK veterans exposed to Agent Orange have been stricken with amongst others the diseases of respiratory and prostate cancer, spina bifida and leukaemia.

In 2006, the RoK Supreme Court ordered 69 million USD in compensation be paid out to 6,800 RoK victims and their families by US Agent Orange/dioxin manufacturers.

VNA