SEOUL — U.S. military personnel were accused of roughly a third fewer serious crimes last year than a year earlier, according to statistics the Korean National Police released last week.

In 2004, 116 crimes involving U.S. military members or their families were reported, according to the KNP.

Those crimes involved larcenies, robberies and serious traffic violations, South Korean police officer Park Dong-sung said Monday.

In 2003, 181 such crimes associated with U.S. servicemembers were reported, said Park, who works with the foreign affairs section of the Yongsan Police Department.

The decrease came as the number of U.S. troops on the peninsula also decreased, by 10 percent, and as servicemembers were placed under a nightly curfew.

Late last summer 3,600 members of Strike Force, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team formerly assigned to South Korea, deployed to Iraq.

Currently, about 32,500 U.S. servicemembers are stationed on the peninsula.

Migrated