Agent Orange in Korea: DMZ Exposure, Presumptive Illnesses, and Claims

If you served in a recognized U.S. Army unit in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971, the Department of Veterans Affairs presumes you were exposed to Agent Orange in Korea and treats you as eligible for disability compensation and VA health care without requiring you to prove you personally handled the herbicide. That presumption is the heart of what most Korea veterans need to know, and the rest of this article walks through who qualifies, what illnesses are covered, and how to file.

Why Agent Orange Was Used Along the DMZ

In 1968, 380 barrels of Agent Orange were imported into South Korea and used that same year by the Republic of Korea Army to strip vegetation that could hide North Korean infiltrators inside the DMZ.¹ Hand spraying of Agent Orange and similar herbicides continued from April 1968 through July 1969 along a strip roughly 151 miles long and up to 350 yards wide on the southern edge of the zone, north of the civilian control line. The Department of Defense estimates that more than 12,000 U.S. troops were exposed during this period.²

Who Qualifies for Presumptive Exposure

The VA grants a presumption of herbicide exposure to any veteran who served in a qualifying unit in or near the Korean DMZ at any point between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971.³ The window originally started in April 1968. The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 pushed the start date back to September 1, 1967, and Congress later wrote the presumption into statute.⁴

You do not have to show that you personally sprayed, stored, or touched the chemical. The VA and Department of Defense only need to confirm two things: that your unit operated in the DMZ area during the qualifying period, and that you were physically present there.³

Recognized Units

The VA and DoD maintain a roster of units whose members are presumed exposed. The list draws heavily from the 2nd and 7th Infantry Divisions, plus supporting and attached units:⁵

2nd Infantry Division: multiple battalions of the 38th, 23rd, 31st, 32nd, and 9th Infantry; the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 72nd Armor; and artillery battalions including the 1st/12th, 1st/15th, 7th/17th, 5th/38th, and 6th/37th Artillery.
7th Infantry Division: battalions of the 17th, 31st, and 32nd Infantry; the 2nd Squadron, 10th Cavalry; and the 1st Battalion, 73rd Armor.
Other qualifying assignments: the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry (Division Reaction Force); the 2nd Military Police Company, 2nd Infantry Division; the 13th Engineer Combat Battalion; the United Nations Command Security Battalion–Joint Security Area; and the crew of the USS Pueblo.

Some records show overlapping assignments for battalions such as the 2nd Battalion, 31st Infantry and the 3rd Battalion, 32nd Infantry, which appear under both the 2nd and 7th Infantry Divisions in different service files.

If You Served in Korea but Fall Outside the Presumption

Veterans who served in Korea but not in a listed unit, or outside the qualifying dates, can still file. They have to prove actual exposure, and the VA acknowledges this path is “often difficult.” Useful evidence includes a detailed personal statement describing when and how exposure happened, buddy statements from fellow service members, published research showing herbicide use at the location, and prior Board of Veterans’ Appeals decisions where the VA has already conceded exposure at that site during that time.²

Illnesses the VA Presumes Are Linked to Exposure

If you meet the service requirement and you have a condition on the VA’s presumptive list, the VA will not ask you to prove the disease was caused by military service.⁶

The recognized cancers are bladder cancer, chronic B-cell leukemia (including hairy-cell leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia), Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus, and certain soft tissue sarcomas (excluding osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and mesothelioma).⁷

The recognized non-cancer conditions are AL amyloidosis, chloracne, diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure (hypertension), hypothyroidism, ischemic heart disease, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), Parkinsonism, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy (early onset), and porphyria cutanea tarda. Three of these carry a timing rule: chloracne, early-onset peripheral neuropathy, and porphyria cutanea tarda each must have become at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure.⁶

The list has grown over the past several years. The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act added bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism. The PACT Act of 2022 added hypertension and MGUS.⁴ If you were previously denied compensation for any of these newly added conditions, you can ask the VA to look again by filing a Supplemental Claim.⁶

How to File a Disability Claim

File using VA Form 21-526EZ, online, by mail, or in person at a regional office. If you have a presumptive condition and qualifying Korea DMZ service, the two documents that matter most are a medical record confirming your diagnosis and your DD214 or other separation papers showing where and when you served.⁶

For a condition that isn’t on the presumptive list, you also need medical or scientific evidence tying that condition to herbicide exposure. That can be published research or a physician’s opinion stating the illness is “as likely as not” caused by Agent Orange.⁶ If your service records are missing or incomplete, you can request reconstruction from the National Personnel Records Center using NARA Form 13075.⁸

Both the VA and Veterans Service Organizations recommend working with an accredited VSO representative through the claims process. You can also reach the VA’s Agent Orange help line or visit any VA regional office for help getting started.

The Free Agent Orange Registry Health Exam

Separate from a disability claim, the VA offers a free Agent Orange Registry health exam to any veteran who is concerned about herbicide exposure. You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care, you do not pay a co-payment, and you do not need to have filed a claim.⁹

The exam covers your exposure and medical history, a physical, and any clinically indicated tests. A VA clinician goes over the results with you and sends a written summary afterward. The exam is a screening tool based on your recollection of service, not a disability evaluation, so a registry exam alone won’t get you compensation. To schedule one, contact your local VA Environmental Health Coordinator.⁹

Benefits for Children Born With Spina Bifida

Children of Korea DMZ veterans who were born with spina bifida (other than spina bifida occulta) may qualify for their own VA benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1821. The program mirrors the one for children of Vietnam veterans and provides a monthly monetary allowance, VA-financed health care for the spina bifida and related conditions, and vocational training and rehabilitation.¹⁰

To qualify, the child must be the veteran’s natural child, conceived after the parent first entered qualifying service in or near the DMZ during the September 1967 to August 1971 window. The VA, working with the Department of Defense, must also determine that the veteran was exposed to a herbicide agent during that service. Claims go through the Denver VA Regional Office on VA Form 12-0304.¹¹

If You Served in Korea but Not at the DMZ

The presumption is tied to the DMZ. Service elsewhere in South Korea is not automatically covered, and that’s worth flagging because the most publicized dispute in this area involved a base far to the south. In May 2011, three former U.S. soldiers said they had been ordered in 1978 to bury drums of Agent Orange at Camp Carroll in Chilgok, more than 145 miles south of the DMZ. One described drums marked “Province of Vietnam, Compound Orange”; another described leaking barrels labeled “Chemicals Type Agent Orange.”¹²¹³ An eight-month joint U.S.–South Korean investigation concluded in December 2011 that there was no evidence of Agent Orange burial or storage at Camp Carroll.¹⁴

The site did have documented contamination from other chemicals. A 2011 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report confirmed a burial site containing dioxin components, pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents. The VA has, in individual cases, conceded that Camp Carroll veterans were exposed to those other substances. In at least one Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision, a veteran who served at the Camp Carroll Supply Depot from 1969 to 1972 received service connection for type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and hypothyroidism based on that conceded exposure.¹⁵ The takeaway for veterans stationed at Korean bases outside the DMZ: the automatic presumption doesn’t apply, but a claim built on documented site-specific exposure and BVA precedent can still succeed.

Recent Rule Changes to Watch

In February 2024, the VA published a proposed rule to fold the recent statutory changes, including the expanded date window and the new presumptive conditions, into 38 CFR Parts 3.307 and 3.309.¹⁶ Those regulations have since been updated, with the most recent amendment to Title 38, Part 3 recorded on January 22, 2026.¹⁷ If your last contact with the VA about a Korea claim predates the PACT Act, it’s worth checking whether your condition is now on the list.

1
U.S. Army. Team Concludes Agent Orange Investigation in Korea
2
North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange Claims
3
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange: Locations — Korea
4
Regulations.gov. Proposed Rule: Diseases Associated With Exposure to Certain Herbicide Agents
5
CCK Law. Agent Orange Locations Map
6
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange Exposure and VA Disability Compensation
7
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange Diseases
8
Vietnam Veterans of America. Agent Orange Guide
9
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Agent Orange Registry Health Exam
10
GovInfo. 38 U.S.C. § 1821 — Benefits for Children of Certain Korea Service Veterans
11
National Veterans Foundation. Spina Bifida Benefits
12
Hankyoreh. Interview With Steve House on Camp Carroll
13
Stars and Stripes. USFK Investigating Vets’ Claims They Buried Agent Orange on Base in ’70s
14
DVIDS. Team Concludes Agent Orange Investigation in South Korea
15
Board of Veterans’ Appeals. BVA Decision, Citation Nr: 22071830
16
GovInfo. Proposed Rule: Federal Register, February 12, 2024
17
eCFR. 38 CFR 3.307 — Presumptive Service Connection