Pyongyang, October 13 (KCNA) -- The south Korean KBS Tuesday called for uprooting crimes by the U.S. imperialist aggression forces present in south Korea.

GIs' crimes are on the steady increase, the KBS said, adding:

Shocking sexual assaults against teenage schoolgirls have recently been committed in succession.

On Oct. 9 when the people's anger at the sexual assaulters was running high, the U.S. army civilian employees were caught by police while committing highway robbery in Seoul. They were directly handed over to the U.S. Army Military Police.

This was due to south Korea-U.S. "Status of Forces Agreement" (SOFA) which stipulates that Americans not taken in an act of crime shall be handed over to the U.S. side at its request and south Korea has the right to hold in custody GIs, U.S. army civilian employees or their family members who commit murder or rape only if they are caught red-handed.

SOFA does not grant the south Korean police the right to investigate the suspects, to say nothing of punishing them, unless the criminals are caught in the very act.

A policy switchover is prerequisite to prevent further damage. Now is the time to revise the shackling SOFA.

It is essential to take measures to uproot GIs' crimes including the harsh punishment of sexual assaulters.