Category: USFK

With the high quality of life now being offered on Camp Humphreys it should not be a surprise that accompanied tours in South Korea have been increased:

The Pentagon has tacked a year on the length of a tour of duty for service members who bring their families with them to South Korea. Troops on accompanied tours — those who bring their spouses or dependents with them to South Korea — are now expected to serve 36 months in the country, according to a Feb. 11 memo from Tim Dill, assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. Service members on accompanied tours were previously expected to stay two years and may still be eligible for the shorter term with a waiver from their service branch, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s office.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The community that surrounds the USFK installation Camp Casey in South Korea is the city of Dongducheon. The city has roughly 87,000 people living in it, but for most U.S. Soldiers the only part of the city they really see is what is located immediately outside of Gate #1. This area for many decades was called the “TDC Ville” or just the “ville” for short. TDC stood for Tongducheon in reference to how the city’s name was spelled back then. The TDC Ville twenty years ago was also very seedy and packed with juicy girls.

As the U.S. military began to actively crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking, the ville tried to clean up its act in the 2010’s and rebranded itself as the Bosan-dong Special Tour District. During this timeframe the juicy girls were still there, but greatly scaled down compared to decades prior.

Now during my most recent visit to Dongducheon the ville has once again rebranded itself as Camp Bosan in English even though in Korean it is still being called the Bosan Special Tour District. Here is the large sign near Camp Casey calling the ville now Camp Bosan:

Another large Camp Bosan sign has been installed on the opposite far end of the ville as well:

For my most recent visit to Dongducheon I got off at the Bosan Subway Station and immediately began walking along the interior street adjacent to the subway line:

Here is a view looking down the street adjacent to the subway line:

As I walked near the subway line I could see that Konglish is still a thing in Dongducheon:

Here is something we did not have to worry about back in the day because we were not allowed to drive cars in Korea:

Along the strip adjacent to the subway line I could see that the King Club after decades in business is still open:

I also spotted this huge and impressive mural of a Korean woman in a hanbok on the Eagles Club:

I then turned down a side street further into the ville where I spotted another long time club called the New World. Right above the New World was the Friday Club:

It was here near the New World Club 25 years ago when I saw one of the funniest fights I had ever seen:

Ville Memories: Juicy Girls and Snowballs

I then walked to the far end of the ville where I saw this unique structure that appears to be a little cafe:

I then walked through the main walking path through the center of the ville where I spotted a bar called the Torque Bike Club:

As I continued into the ville I noticed this newer establishment named Miami Club:

Here is a view looking further down the main path that runs through the ville:

As I continued to walk through the ville I saw the Top Club with a karaoke place right next to it:

Here is a club that has been around for awhile, Cowboys:

The Yolo Club is an establishment that seems fairly new in the ville. I did think it was clever of them to have a cash machine right at the entrance of their club:

Down a side street from the Yolo Club is the Spot Club:

Here is a restaurant named the Mommy Store:

Here is a view looking up the street towards the Mommny Store and Club Miami:

I also walked by a Board Game Cafe:

The ville still has plenty of custom tailor shops that I saw as I walked around:

The Star Custom Tailor is one that has been around a long time:

The ville also had plenty of places to get your favorite sports jerseys made:

There is of course a pawn shop for Soldiers to sell off there goods to in exchange for cash to give to girls in the ville:

Here is another newer club the Super Moon:

Here is the New York Club and the DD214 Club:

Here is a wider angle view of the intersection where the New York Club, the New World Club, and Miami Club can all be seen:

Here is a street view of the Loto Club and the Pentagon Bar:

Here is a closer look at the Loto Club:

Here is a closer look at the Pentagon Bar:

I next saw what is probably the oldest club in the entire ville, Club Rendezvous. The Rendezvous had actually been renovated since the last time I had saw it:

According to a sign near its entrance the Rendezvous has been open since 1970. That is a very impressive 55 years of operations in the ville:

The Rendezvous used to be the club I used to hang out at frequently when I was stationed at Camp Casey way back in the day. Then the club was operated by a local gangster named Mr. Han. Here is a story I previously shared about Mr. Han:

Ville Memories: The Rendezvous Club

Here is the Hurricane Club which is right next to the Rendezvous:

Next was the Players Club and the Bridge Club:

In a side alley I saw the Beat Club:

This location used to be where a popular latin club called the Pan Korea used to be at:

Some more clubs I saw was the Seoul Club:

There was also the Crown Club that is one that has been in operation for quite some time:

The Silver Star Club is another one that has been around for decades:

The Las Vegas Club likewise has been around for decades:

Same with the Sky Club:

Further down the street I then saw the Sclub Club. I have no idea what a Sclub is:

I next saw a colorfully painted Popeye Sandwich shop:

Here is the Ace Tattoo, the Link Up Lounge, and Camp One:

As I looked down the street I could see on the right all the food stands that have been added in the ville over the past few years:

This area is where an ajumma used to sell chicken on a stick from a little shack at back in the day. I used to get chicken there all the time until I found out where she got the sticks from:

Ville Memories: Why I Don't Eat Chicken On A Stick

Further down the street I saw a mink blacket store. Getting a mink blanket in Korea seems like a right of passage for GIs to get.

Next I saw the Ace Club:

Then I saw the Empire Club which is another one of the clubs that has been in operations for many decades:

I then came to the area where a large stage has been installed in recent years in a courtyard park:

Near this park is the Sun Club, which used to be located in a different area of the ville, but has apparently relocated in recent years:

The building housing the Sky Club had some pretty impressive grafitti:

Here are some more businesses located adjacent to the park:

Here is a panorama I took of the park:

Here is a closer look at the Wing 212 business:

I then walked into a side alley from the park where I saw the Poory Chop Store. Above this building is where the infamous 1992 murder of the Korean female Kum-I Yun by USFK servicemember Kenneth Markle happened:

Just down the alley from the Poory Chop Store I could see Club Peace:

Here is a closer look at Club Peace which is also one of the older clubs in the ville:

Some other clubs in the alley were the Olive Club and D Club:

There was also the Phoenix Club which has been around for a while:

Here is a look at a few other business located in this alley before it exits where Camp Mobile is located:

Here is a sign at the end of the alley promoting Camp Bosan and the Do Dream Music Center:

Across the street I could see Camp Mobile which back in the day was called the Turtle Farm. This is because the CIF used to be located there and Soldiers had to carry all their gear on their back to Camp Casey looking like a bunch of green turtles:

I then walked over to MSR-3 that passes through Dongducheon and right by Camp Casey. It is where many more businesses are located:

While walking along this section of the ville I spotted a coin and trophy shop:

I also walked by the first vape shop I saw in the ville:

Here are a waffle and kebab restaurants:

I then walked across a crosswalk then began walking towards Camp Casey’s Gate #1:

Here is the view looking back across the street:

Here is a picture of more businesses along MSR-3:

There was also more restaurants and a massage parlor that could be seen:

I also spotted a barber shop:

Here is the last few businesses I spotted before reaching Gate #1 at Camp Casey:

Overall though I am kind of surprised how many clubs and businesses are holding on in the TDC Ville. There has been a large reduction of Soldiers on Camp Casey and the adjacent Camp Hovey to just 4,000 personnel due to the relocation of the 2nd Infantry Division to Camp Humphreys. To make matters even more challenging for the business owners is that the subway station makes it much easier for the Soldiers to go to Seoul which means they spend less money in the ville as well.

Because of the change in the business environment it is very clear that much effort over the past decade plus has been put into cleaning up the TDC Ville. It does look better than I remember it, but the place is still old and rundown. An analogy I like to use is that you can put make up on Songtan Sally, but it is still Songtan Sally.

It really should be systematically torn down and redeveloped, but instead of redevelopment, the city of Dongducheon is leaning in to promoting the ville as a “retro” area in Korea. I don’t think this appeal is going get Korean tourists to visit a rundown neighborhood catering to U.S. Soldiers. Regardless a visit to the TDC Ville was a nice trip down memory lane to see how much has and has not changed in Dongducheon. However, whenever this place is enevitablly torn down one day to be redeveloped, I don’t think I will really miss it.

Note: If you have stories to share about any of the clubs listed in this posting feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below.

I am sure the USFK PAO did not have this on their bingo card of things they would have to respond to this week:

The United States Forces Korea on Monday denied online media reports of 99 Chinese spies being captured by the US and South Korean military and confessing to election rigging, saying the notion is “entirely false.”

“The depiction of US forces and the allegations in the mentioned ROK media articles are entirely false. US Forces Korea remains committed to its mission of maintaining stability and security on the Korean Peninsula in accordance with the US-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty. We urge responsible reporting and fact-checking to prevent the spread of misinformation that could harm public trust,” the USFK said in a public statement, referring to South Korea’s formal name, the Republic of Korea.

Thursday’s claim by Sky Daily, a far-right platform founded in 2011, alleged that the South Korean military cooperated with the US military to take into custody 99 Chinese nationals at the National Election Commission building during the Dec. 3-4 imposition of martial law.

Korea Herald via a reader tip

You can read more at the link, but even if the Chinese had spies in the NEC this would have nothing to do with USFK. This would be completely a ROK counterintelligence and law enforcement matter to arrest Chinese spies.

USFK has a new commander just in time for Christmas:

Gen. Xavier Brunson took office as the new commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) on Friday, vowing a continued commitment to upholding the South Korea-U.S. alliance amid persistent threats by North Korea.

Brunson replaced Gen. Paul LaCamera to lead the 28,500-strong American troops in South Korea in a change-of-command ceremony held at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, attended by top officials from both nations, including acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but General LaCamera is retiring after 44 years of service. That is a lot of Army! Congratulations to him on a well deserved retirement.

This makes me wonder how people without legal immigration status were able to access Camp Humphreys every day to go to work?:

Ten people at retail businesses at this base were cited or deported earlier this month on suspicion of working illegally in South Korea, according to a South Korea immigration investigator Friday.

Army Criminal Investigation Division agents and South Korean investigators apprehended the 10 during a sting operation Nov. 5, an investigator in the Suwon Immigration Office told Stars and Stripes by phone. The group, including people from Turkey and the Philippines, were allegedly working for a restaurant and jewelry store at Humphreys without work visas, according to the investigator with the Justice Ministry branch in Suwon city.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

This should lead to fresher produce for customers:

Produce at U.S. bases in South Korea was temporarily in short supply as the Defense Commissary Agency began replacing U.S. imports of certain fruits and vegetables with their locally grown counterparts.

Commissaries plan this month to start stocking “the highest quality” local fruits and vegetables that are “consistent with what is available in commercial grocery stores,” U.S. Army Garrison Daegu announced in a Facebook post Oct. 29.

These include apples, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, radishes, pumpkins, kale, leeks, green onions, tomatoes, pomegranates, persimmons, citrus and grapes from the United States, along with squash from Mexico, DeCA spokesman Keith Desbois said by email Friday.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The U.S. and the ROK demonstrating the future of warfare to the North Koreans:

Unmanned aerial vehicles from the United States and South Korea recently teamed up to improve their combat effectiveness via first-of-their-kind live-fire drills, according to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. The training took place Friday, a day after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile off its eastern coast, although the timing is unrelated, according to email Monday from 7th Air Force spokeswoman Master Sgt. Rachelle Coleman. A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper dropped an inert, 558-pound GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, using reconnaissance data from a South Korean air force RQ-4B Global Hawk, according to Coleman and a ministry news release three days earlier.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The 2nd Infantry Division has a new rotational brigade in South Korea:

A Stryker combat team has taken over as the U.S. Army’s rotational force in South Korea, relieving a cavalry unit in a ceremony at Camp Casey, the U.S. base closest to North Korea. The 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., assumed the responsibility Friday at Camp Casey, about 15 miles from the border, replacing the 3rd Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Cavazos, Texas.

The Stryker brigade is outfitted with the eight-wheeled armored combat vehicle of the same name. The rotational force of approximately 3,500 soldiers and 1,500 prepositioned vehicles supports the 2nd Infantry Division in nine-month deployments to South Korea. The division is headquartered at Camp Humphreys, roughly 40 miles south of Seoul.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Hopefully no one was injured in this fire:

A fire broke out at a US Forces Korea (USFK) storage facility in the southeastern port city of Busan on Thursday, officials said, with no casualties reported so far.

The blaze occurred at 6:31 p.m. at the USFK’s Busan Storage Center in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to officials.

More than 160 personnel and 51 pieces of fire equipment have been mobilized to extinguish the fire, which is believed to have started during plumbing work.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

The issues around Rodriguez Range is very similar to noise complaints by people who build homes around airports. The range had been there long before the population began increasing around the area. It looks like the ROK government will now invest enough money in the area to keep the locals quiet for the time being:

U.S. troops may now employ attack helicopters in live-fire drills at a range 16 miles from North Korea, according to the South’s Ministry of National Defense. For the past six years, the Army could fly AH-64 Apaches in exercises at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex, but not fire their weapons. Representatives from the ministry, South Korean army and a citizens’ group investigating noise complaints from the range, signed a memorandum Monday to “normalize” training by U.S. forces, according to a ministry news release that day.

Concerns over noise generated by the Apaches prompted a U.S. noise study earlier this year, Kang Tae Il, chairman of the citizens’ group — Pocheon Live Fire Range Countermeasure Committee — told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday. “We, local residents, originally wanted to get this range moved and closed,” he said. “However, in the situation in our country that is a standoff with North Korea, soldiers need to train somewhere.”

The change near the border came as tensions continue to tick higher on the peninsula. On Tuesday, North Korea destroyed parts of inter-Korean roads on its side of the border, after claiming that South Korean drones flew over Pyongyang. To compensate Pocheon residents for the noise, the ministry agreed to construct a gymnasium, golf course and other sports facilities around the range at an undetermined date, Kang said.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.