South Korea and the United States agreed to revise a pact outlining the legal status of U.S. forces operating here to allow South Korea more legal jurisdiction, the foreign ministry said here Wednesday.

Under the revised Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which provides legal basis for U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, authorities here can take U.S. soldiers into custody before they are formally indicted.

The authorities can now hold the suspect in custody during preliminary investigations, a change that would help South Korean law enforcement officials conduct a more effective probe, according to the ministry.

The revision came after two separate rape cases involving two U. S. officials, which provoked public outcry over the validity of the SOFA.

South Korea and the United States have held regular meetings to discuss revising the pact, which critics here have said is unduly protective of some 28,500 U.S. forces stationed here as a deterrent against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).