Category: USFK

The USFK commander’s remarks makes me wonder if he inadvertently spoke about something already being discussed at higher levels?

The U.S. Department of Defense has reaffirmed that the issue of the American troop presence in South Korea is not directly related to denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, multiple Seoul officials said Thursday.
It delivered the message recently to Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense amid a controversy over U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) chief Gen. Robert Abrams’ remarks at a congressional session, which were seen as signaling the possibility of the U.S. troop withdrawal — or drawdown — after a peace treaty is signed with North Korea, according to the officials.
In response to a senator’s question Tuesday about the USFK, the commander said his troops will stay on the peninsula, “Until there is a peace treaty, because we still remain in a state of armistice, a cessation of hostilities, until such time that there is a peace treaty between all of the parties.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

#US_ROK_Alliance #WeGoTogether Most of South Koreans sincerely thank the USFK. pic.twitter.com/WrEaCFirIQ

— 인지연 Jiyeon Ihn (@JiyeonIhn) January 26, 2019

For people moving to or visiting Camp Humphreys here are the gates and the hours they are open:

Pedestrian Gate: 24-Hours for Pedestrians, Escorts, and Bicycles.

Anjeong-ri Gate: 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. entry is limited to one lane. Exiting the installation is all lanes for privately owned vehicles, contract vehicles, bicycles and motor bikes. (CLOSED on Weekends and Holidays)

CPX Gate — CLOSED

Dongchang‐ri 020 Gate: 24-Hours for privately owned vehicles, pedestrians, buses, contract type utility vehicles, motor bikes and bicycles. 

Hamjeong‐ri 021 Gate: 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (CLOSED on Weekends and Holidays) for privately owned vehicles, pedestrians, contract type utility vehicles, buses, small commercial vehicles, motor bikes, bicycles, and pedestrians.

Dodu-ri Gate: 24-Hours for privately owned vehicles, pedestrians, contract type utility vehicles, buses, military vehicles, commercial vehicles, motor bikes, bicycles, and escorts. 

Army.mil

You would think someone would have studied how to best handle vehicle access into Camp Humphreys during rush hour periods. It appears that was not the case:

Traffic jams are posing a major headache for the growing population on Camp Humphreys, the U.S. military’s new headquarters in South Korea, with many complaining about a dearth of access gates and guards to man them.
Lines of cars are frequently backed up for several blocks on the roads outside and inside the Army’s largest overseas base as drivers wait to file through sometimes a single lane during rush hours. Scanners used by the guards to check IDs often don’t work promptly, causing even more frustration.
One man was injured when the grab barriers deployed as he was driving through one of the access points in November.
“It is out of control,” said Elyse Hendriksen-Bannon, who must battle traffic twice in the morning to get on post – first when she takes her husband to work and later to take her 13-year-old son to the middle school.

Stars & Stripes

You can read the rest at the link.

Late shot…spent some time Christmas Day visiting D-2 ADA THAAD at their remote site. Thankful for their dedicated service and dedication to their no-fail 24/7 mission. Mess Team was preparing a feast! Outdoor pics unauthorized. pic.twitter.com/yPDRt4wSzM

— Robert Abrams (@DogFaceSoldier) December 26, 2018

It only took nearly 15 years, but it appears the local Korean government in Paju has figured out what to finally do with old Camp Howze:

This week, Paju City announced plans to renovate six buildings at the old base to create something it calls “Flat Village” by June 2021, the Hankyoreh Shinmun reported Wednesday.
The $18.3 million project, which includes parking for 550 vehicles, will turn the former base gymnasium into a performance hall and a supply shop into a museum and gallery, a Paju City official said Thursday.
Officers’ quarters will be converted to a guest house, a dining facility will become a community center and a headquarters building will transform into an artist’s residence, the official said.
People living near Howze made great sacrifices as a consequence of the Korean War, Paju Mayor Choi Jong-hwan said, according to the newspaper report.
The project will create jobs and boost locals’ incomes, he said, adding that the base would be “reborn as a place of reconciliation, healing and peace.”

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

There is a cat-astrophic problem at Yongsan Garrison (sorry I couldn’t resist):

The population on this Army post has plunged since the U.S. military moved its headquarters south of Seoul over the summer. But one group is clawing its way up — stray cats.
They can be spotted running upstairs, hiding under cars, prowling around trash cans and even stuck in trees.
Nobody is sure where they all came from. But Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Robertson has a pretty good idea.
“People left their pets behind,” he said at a town hall meeting last month on Yongsan, which has been steadily emptying after U.S. Forces Korea and many other units moved to the newly expanded Camp Humphreys as part of a long-delayed relocation plan.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Here we go with more of the Yongsan Garrison is contaminated articles:

Benzene, at levels 1,170 times the government-set safety limit, has been detected among other toxic chemicals in groundwater near Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, the former site of the headquarters of the U.S. Forces (USFK) in Korea, Seoul metropolitan government said Friday.

The government said the levels of toxins above the allowable limit were detected in 27 out of 62 observation wells, or monitoring points installed to observe changes in groundwater over a specific time period.

At 16 out of 41 monitoring points near Noksapyeong Station near the garrison, toxic substances from groundwater samples was found to exceed environmental safety limits. Free-floating oil was also detected.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but what the article does not tell you is that last year on-post soil samples at Yongsan Garrison did not show dangerous pollution levels. The fact that these readings are near Yongsan Garrison does not necessarily mean it is coming from the base.

However, expect more of these articles because it helps to mobilize public opinion against USFK at a time when the US government is trying to get the Moon administration to pay more for USFK upkeep. The Moon administration can use the pollution issue to claim they are already paying more money to clean up Yongsan Garrison and shouldn’t have to pay any more.

The new USFK commander has some concerns about moving the USFK headquarters into the Defense Ministry building:

South Korea and the United States are reconsidering a plan to relocate the combined command of their troops to the defense ministry compound in Seoul due to concern about operational efficiency, military sources said Thursday.

Combined Forces Command (CFC) chief Gen. Robert Abrams raised the need to rethink the plan, under which the CFC personnel will work in four different existing buildings in the compound.He is apparently concerned that it may lower the effectiveness of joint operations and affect the allies’ overall defense posture.

They have been in talks over the CFC issue in line with a broader scheme to move U.S. military bases in Seoul and north of the capital to Camp Humphreys, a sprawling U.S. military complex in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul.”(Gen. Abrams) has called on (his staff) to go back to the drawing board and explore various possibilities, including the relocation to the ministry compound,” a military source told Yonhap News Agency on the condition of anonymity.”

As he took the helm of the command and reviewed the plan, he apparently felt the need for the reconsideration,” the official added.What the commander wants is for the relocation plan to be reviewed, not for it to be immediately canceled.  The commander, who also leads the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and U.N. Command, took office in November.

Alternative options include retaining the CFC in the current location in Yongsan, central Seoul, relocating it to Camp Humphreys or constructing a separate complex in the defense ministry. 

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but with the current ROK government it seems keeping the USFK headquarters on Yongsan Garrison would be difficult. Moving the headquarters to Camp Humphreys would create a geographical barrier between allied integration.  Plus big decisions are made in Seoul and thus staff will need to continuously go to Seoul from Camp Humphreys.  I guess we will see how this plays out. 

Do people actually think a name change of an exercise really matters in regards to whether Kim Jong-un will get upset? 

South Korea and the United States are considering renaming their major annual combined exercises, apparently as part of efforts to support ongoing diplomacy with North Korea, a military source in Seoul said Monday.
The allies have been in consultation on their overall plans for next year’s exercises, such as the springtime Key Resolve and the summertime Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), as they explore ways to prevent them from negatively affecting ongoing peace efforts.
“The South and U.S. have been coordinating their plans for next year’s training, and they have also been mulling the possibility of renaming them,” the source told Yonhap News Agency on condition of anonymity.
“But nothing has been decided yet. Sooner or later, there will be an official announcement regarding the plans for the exercises and their names,” he added.
The allies have reportedly been considering changing Key Resolve into the ’19-1 Exercise and UFG into ’19-2 Exercise. Such a change, if finalized, would reportedly be one of the first major alliance decisions since current U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams took office on Nov. 8.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but the North Koreans will use any US-ROK exercise as an excuse for complaint or provocation if the sanctions are not dropped.  They can call a joint exercise “Pink Unicorns 2019” and the Kim regime will be complaining if sanctions are not dropped by then.  

So ROK Heads it is time for you to do your civic duty and help US and ROK planners with a name change that will not offend Kim Jong-un.  So who has some great ideas on what to name US-ROK military exercises?