Sergeant Fernando Nino offered his "deepest and most heartfelt condolences" to the families of the 14-year-olds girls who were crushed to death by a 50-tonne vehicle on June 13.

"I am so sorry for the grief and pain you have felt at the loss of your daughters," said Nino, the vehicle's navigator and commander, who was cleared of two counts of negligent homicide last week in a US court martial.

"Even though it was by accident, I have to live with the anguish of knowing that two individuals died as a result of the accident," he said in a statement:

The second soldier, Sergeant Mark Walker, also expressed "great remorse" over the deaths>

"I know my mental turmoil is surely nothing compared to your sadness and pain. In my year here in Korea I have really come to love and respect the Korean people," he said.

Walker was at the wheel of the tank track vehicle that ran over the girls as they walked past a military convoy on their way to a birthday party. But he was also found not guilty.

US military authorities said both Nino and Walker would leave South Korea soon.

"Walker was to be transferred to the United States after ending his mission here, and Nino has filed for retirement," a US military spokesman told AFP.

The case has fuelled anti-US sentiment in South Korea, which hosts 37,000 US troops under a mutual defense pact dating back to the 1950-1953 Korean War.

South Korean activists have staged regular protests outside US military bases since the deaths of the two schoolgirls, burning American flags and scuffling with riot police.

Under an accord between Washington and Seoul, US forces have legal jurisdiction over US troops committing crimes in South Korea while on duty. The South Korean government asked for jurisdiction in this case but was denied.

SPACE.WIRE