The MRE Scam is Alive and Well
Courtesy of Korea Beat comes news that the old MRE scam is alive and well in 2ID:
On the 14th the Gyeongnam police department’s foreign affairs division has applied for an arrest warrant for a Mr. Park (43) on suspicion of selling US military rations on the internet without a license. According to the police, since March of last year Park is suspected of selling 100 boxes, worth W50,000,000, of emergency rations from the 2nd Infantry Division stationed in Dongducheon to at least 80 people through the internet.
The police say the rations sold by Park were obtained from a person working in the US military and that the investigation is continuing. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
The scam used to be much worse a few years ago but crackdowns on the MRE scam beginning in the US where soldiers were convicted of selling MREs over E-Bay has improved accountability of MREs in the mility. However, as this shows some MRE scams are still going on. Some may wonder why in the world someone would want to buy MREs in Korea? The MREs get sold in the marketplaces to primarily fishermen as well as some campers who want non-perishable food.
The corruption in the Joong Ang Ilbo article probably involves someone working in one of the Camp Casey dining facilities that issue MREs. It used to be easy to get MREs from the dining facility but in recent years accountability of the MREs has greatly improved but as this shows it has not improved enough.
Another way the blackmarket gets MREs is when units go to the field each battalion has an "ajumma tent" assigned to them that sell Korean food to the soldiers. This probably still goes on secretly because soldiers are not supposed to do this, but before soldiers could give ajumma an MRE for a cheesy ramyon meal. That cheesy ramyon probably cost ajumma a dollar while she can sell the MRE she gained for five dollars. Ajumma makes huge profits from the MREs, but like I said before this is not supposed to be going on anymore.
MRE trading in the field was banned sometime around '97 because the greedy Korean bastards raised the price from one MRE equal to cheese ramyon, Coke, and moon pie (circa '92) to three MRE's equal to the same, which of course encouraged chow thieves and shady PSG's fetching more than their allocation.
There should be more training and classes for these soldiers. I think the command should set aside one day of training each week for "MRE awareness". Additionally it would be possible to obtain an "MRE awareness" certificate via AKO online. A soldier should only be issued an MRE if he has his "MRE buddy" with him, then they can monitor each other. It would also be helpful to declare certain ajima tents off limits, arbitrarily of course. I would like to see a senior NCO at each dispersal point issuing a counseling statement along with each MRE. I could also envision a "MRE values card" which all soldiers would be required to carry and wear on their dog tags at all times. Finally, for those found guilty of abuse; those individuals should be discharged and forced to register as sexual predators in their home states. MRE abuse is not a victimless crime!
Yesterday at the Korean massage parlor, I could have sworn that the masseuse's undergarments looked like an MRE meal, but then I realized she wasn't wearing any undergarments.
She probably gets more than $5 for them. They're like $7 in the commissary.
Start spreading the rumor that MRE is not "well Being" food and Koreans should not be eating them.