Category: USFK

This is not an issue I was even aware of before, but I can easily see how someone could get in trouble for this without even knowing they were doing something illegal:

U.S. personnel in Japan and South Korea won’t get in trouble if they take prescription or over-the-counter medication off-base, even if the ingredients are prohibited under host-nation law, according to local national officials.

A U.S. English teacher, Carrie Russell, was arrested last month after officials discovered 180 Adderall pills that she had mailed to her new home in Nagoya, Japan. Russell’s mother earlier sent the pills — used to treat attention deficit disorder — to her daughter in South Korea, according to the Tribune News Service.

Adderall, which contains amphetamines, is illegal in Japan and South Korea. Ritalin, the other main drug used in the West to treat ADD, was banned in 2007 in Japan as officials cited widespread abuse.

Pseudoephedrine-based medications sold over-the-counter in the U.S. and at on-base commissaries are also controlled substances in Japan.

Warnings about the import of cold and flu medications with brand names such as Tylenol, Nyquil, Actifed, Sudafed, Advil, Dristan, Drixoral, Vicks and Lomotil are posted on Japanese consular websites. The cold and flu remedies contain narcotic or stimulant ingredients in excess of Japan’s standards, the websites state.

However, officials said U.S. military personnel won’t get in trouble if they take that type of medication off-base.

U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Andre Kok said by email that the Status of Forces Agreement there affords the U.S. the right to furnish medical support for troops, civilians and family members. [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

This sounds like another populist antic, by the Dongducheon Mayor because the city could have the land tomorrow if the Korean government agreed to accept it:

Dongducheon residents and members of the Dongucheon City Council protest the possible long-term presence of U.S. soldiers in their city Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, in front of the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Seoul.
Lim Sang-O/Special to Stars and Stripes

Angered by the U.S. military’s continuing possession of a long-vacated base, a city near the North Korean border is taking steps to “show its will,” from canceling friendship activities to forcing troops to go to municipal hall to register their cars.

Dongducheon, home to the 2nd Infantry’s Camps Casey and Hovey, notified the military Jan. 9 that it would withdraw its staffer handling private vehicle registrations for troops from Casey on Monday, forcing them to travel to city offices about a mile away.

“It was the quickest and easiest measure we could take under the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) and Korean domestic law,” the chief of a city office handling U.S. Forces Korea affairs said.

Dongducheon also plans to halt tours of the city for incoming 2ID soldiers and will no longer invite U.S. troops to take part in its annual Lunar New Year’s Day ceremony next month, he said. The city is also considering halting other friendship events with 2ID.

At issue is when U.S. Forces Korea will return Camp Castle, which it said closed in 2010, to South Korean control. The city says negotiations on the return that have been going on for several years have been postponed.

USFK said in a statement it is ready now to turn over 38 acres about 1.8 miles from city hall.

“Camp Castle will be returned as soon as the (South Korean) government agrees to accept the return,” the statement said. The command would not elaborate on why the handover has apparently stalled and referred questions to South Korea.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries are currently discussing the handover of the base through Status of Forces Agreement channels including an environmental subcommittee, but the timing of the return has not been decided. The ministry did not provide further details.

Dongducheon had hoped to turn the vacant base into a university campus that city officials believe would bolster the local economy.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but with just about every USFK camp closeout and handover environmental clean up has been a big negotiating point.  This is because the Korean government tries to get USFK to pay as much for the clean up as possible even though by the letter of the SOFA the camps can be turned over as is.

If you are going to Yongsan Garrison you better leave your drones at home:

The U.S. military stationed in South Korea has introduced stricter security rules banning all civilian drones and remote controlled model aircrafts from flying over the main military base in Yongsan in central Seoul, a South Korean military source said Thursday.

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) issued a total ban in late December on all unmanned aerial vehicles or radio-controlled model aircrafts equipped with a camera or other types of information-gathering devices on the entire premise of the Yongsan Garrison. “The flight ban involves all computer- or radio-controlled civilian drones and toy model aircrafts, except for military drones authorized by the U.S. military,” a military source in Seoul said.

According to the source, those who own radio-controlled model aircrafts can fly only in extremely limited zones after registering them with the U.S. military for permits. Under the stricter rules, only those at age 13 or older are allowed to fly model aircrafts in authorized zones to a maximum altitude of 100 feet above ground. The USFK said violators would be “dealt sternly” in accordance with the military and civilian legal procedures. [Donga Ilbo via reader tip]

You can read more at the link.

Camp Walker became the first location in Korea to establish a monument in honor of Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Captain Emil Kapaun:

A chaplain who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for refusing to abandon troops during combat finally has been recognized with a monument in the country where he died more than six decades ago.

The dark gray granite stone, erected by U.S. Army Garrison Daegu in front of the Camp Walker chapel, includes an image of Capt. Emil Kapaun supporting an injured soldier and the inscription, “He paid the ultimate sacrifice and consecrated the soul of Korea.” The monument, about four feet tall, was unveiled Dec. 19.

It’s the first memorial on the Korean peninsula for Kapaun, who died in a prisoner of war camp in May 1951 after being captured at Unsan the previous November. Although U.S. forces were surrounded and ordered to evacuate, the Roman Catholic priest stayed behind to comfort the wounded, despite the certainty of capture, and made rounds even as hand-to-hand combat broke out between U.S. and Chinese troops.

“We need inspiration and motivation to continue to serve the country,” deputy garrison chaplain Maj. Moon Kim said of Kapaun’s legacy. “People get easily discouraged or demotivated. But we see those forefathers who have gone before us and died, and they inspire us.”

The chaplain, a native of Pilsen, Kan., was awarded the Medal of Honor in April 2013.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

I wonder if the juicy bar owners are the ones pushing the mayor to make these complaints because they are the ones currently losing big money due to USFK’s decision to ban servicemembers from giving money to juicy girls:

The mayor of a city near the North Korean border is seeking $2.7 billion from the South Korean government, claiming the delayed relocation of American troops from Dongducheon is hurting the local economy and redevelopment plans.

City officials say Mayor Oh Se-chang told Defense Minister Han Min-koo that if Dongducheon — home to camps Casey and Hovey — doesn’t see some show of support from the government by the end of the year, the city will consider holding a large demonstration and a nonbinding referendum on whether U.S. troops should remain there.

Approximately 5,900 soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in Area I, which extends from just north and east of Seoul up to the Demilitarized Zone.

“If U.S. troops want to stay in Dongducheon, they should be of help to the local economy or all of them should go away,” a city official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. He said troops should be spending more money at off-post Korean-owned businesses instead of shopping solely at post exchanges or other on-base facilities.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but basically the mayor just wants to get paid off by the national government to keep quiet.  Also of interest in the article is that a spokesman said that Camp Casey is now scheduled to be handed back over to the local government in the 2020 timeframe.  I will believe that when I see it.

Here is the latest US military unit that will be rotating into South Korea:

The U.S. Army has approved the rotational deployment of the 2nd Squadron of the 6th Cavalry Regiment from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, to Korea’s Camp Humphreys in January 2015, the 8th Army said Friday.

“This regiment will deploy and conduct operations in support of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and 8th Army, enhancing the capabilities of USFK in support of the ROK-U.S. Alliance,” the statement said.

The 2-6th Cavalry Regiment is replacing the 6th Squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment, which is returning to Fort Wainwright, Alaska.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

Via a reader tip comes news that Yongsan Garrison will have some visitors looking to find evidence of oil leakage from Yongsan Garrision:

South Korea and the United States agreed Tuesday to allow local environmental experts to conduct a field study on a U.S. military base in central Seoul suspected of polluting groundwater and its nearby land.

The Yongsan Garrison is suspected of being the source of leaking oil that has polluted at least 12,000 square meters of land and more than 7 million liters of underground water since 2001 when the first oil spill was reported.

The agreement was reached at the latest Joint Committee meeting on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) aimed at discussing an array of issues governing the legal status of 28,500 U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

To address the suspected oil leakage, both sides formed a joint working group consisting of officials from Seoul’s environment ministry, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the Seoul Metropolitan Government in June last year.

“The two sides agreed to allow Korea’s environmental experts to visit the garrison in the near term for a field inspection into possible pollution sources,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “They shared the view that the move will contribute to the fundamental resolution of the matter.”

Seoul has made repeated requests to the U.S. for its cooperation with the inspection of the garrison, which have been long ignored by the U.S. Under the SOFA, the South Korean government can investigate USFK bases only if permission is granted.  [Yonhap]

This inspection is really nothing unprecedented because when the camps in the 2nd Infantry Division closed out almost ten years ago the environmental ministry and NGO types visited those camps as well.  What is going on with Yongsan is that there has been oil found dripping in the subway lines, but no one has been able to confirm where it is coming from and the Korean government believes it is coming from Yongsan Garrison.

Anyway here is how the article ends with a topic that has absolutely nothing to do with the oil spill issue:

Concerning crimes committed by U.S. forces stationed here, South Korea asked the U.S. to tighten discipline among its soldiers at end-year, the ministry said.

Crimes committed by U.S. servicemen have declined, but sex and drug-related crimes rose between 2011 and 2013, the ministry added. In response, the U.S. said it will sternly deal with any kinds of sex crimes, vowing to cooperate with Seoul over crimes by U.S. soldiers.

South Korean authorities have often failed to take legal action against U.S. soldiers as the SOFA regulations allow the suspects to be handed over to U.S. authorities.

Having compiled these stats in the past I do not trust any GI crime statistics put out by Koreans which are often inflated.  With that said that I am sure that drug crimes have risen because of the crackdown the ROK has done on inspecting US mail.  There has been plenty of idiot soldiers caught in the past few years sending drugs through the mail.

I wonder who screwed up and sent out this automated message or did a student conduct a hoax?

SEOUL, South Korea – An installation-wide lockdown at Osan Air Base was lifted around 12:45 p.m. Monday following a security forces sweep of Osan schools after a teacher received a phone call indicating there might be a shooter on base, according to the 51st Fighter Wing.
An earlier post on the wing’s Facebook page said no unusual activity had been reported, and the search for a possible shooter appeared to be largely over.
At 11:58 a.m., a post attributed to Osan American High School Principal Morgan Nugent said a teacher received a call “that sounded automated” claiming an active shooter drill was taking place, and immediately reported the call:
“There was no scheduled school shooter drill on base so we decided to (err) on the side of safety and went into a full school lockdown. Security Forces have responded to the school and are doing a sweep of the whole school and its perimeter. Once we are given an all clear we will go ahead and continue the school day as is and with a chance for a debrief to our kids at the end of the school day. Ultimately though your children are safe and we will continue to keep them safe. Once we are given an all clear we will go ahead and continue the school day as is with a chance for a debrief to our kids at the end of the school day.”

Nugent was not immediately available for comment.
Several security forces personnel and vehicles were spotted around 11:15 a.m. at the base’s middle school and high school. The base was otherwise deserted as the season’s first snow flurries fell, with a loudspeaker repeating the same message every few minutes in both English and Korean: “Lockdown, lockdown, lockdown. Seek safety and shelter.” (Stars and Stripes)

You can read more at the link.

Having spent a few years in 1st Brigade it is a bit sad to see it go:

SEOUL, South Korea — A decades-old 2nd Infantry Division unit stationed near the tense South-North Korea border will deactivate and be replaced by a U.S.-based rotational brigade combat team, according to the Pentagon.

The 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team will be deactivated in June 2015 and will be immediately replaced by approximately 4,600 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, the Defense Department announced Thursday.

Troops are typically stationed in South Korea on one- or two-year tours, leading to frequent turnover within units. The deactivation and switch to nine-month rotational deployments is part of a U.S. Army rotational plan that calls for similarly sized and capable units from the United States to train and deploy together.

“There’s no loss in capability. Some would argue that the capability might even be slightly higher because it’s a trained unit that arrives there in Korea prepared to act,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters. “We believe that any loss to continuity with familiarity to the terrain will be made up by a single cohesive unit that is familiar with working with each other.”
(Stars and Stripes)

You can read more at the link, but the problem you have with rotational units is that everyone is the new person all at the same time.

Apparently a number of on-post housing for US servicemembers in Korea are not up to standard:

An Inspector General’s report has cited hundreds of potentially dangerous housing code violations, ranging from missing sprinkler systems to exposed copper wiring, in U.S. military housing in South Korea, although only 11 were considered serious.

Most of the violations were related to inadequate upkeep of housing facilities, according to the Oct. 28 report, which found that “housing visits and inspections were not being conducted in accordance with established instructions and procedures.”

Twelve percent of the occupied buildings at 13 U.S. Forces Korea military installations — ranging from family housing to barracks and dormitories for unaccompanied servicemembers — were reviewed during the IG’s March 10 to April 24 inspections. The checks found 646 deficiencies in 277 units, mechanical rooms and common areas.

The 11 “critical” deficiencies included an out-of-service fire alarm system at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, which left the occupants of one building with no means of fire detection. Furnaces in two other buildings at the Seoul base were leaking heating oil onto an electric blower motor, posing a fire hazard.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link, but I have lived in quonset huts and crackhouses in Korea before so what servicemembers have to day is much better than just a decade ago.  With that said the real concern I have is how come the fire departments are not doing regular inspections of these facilities to ensure they are safe?  If they are then why did they not catch these issues beforehand?  Why did it take an IG inspection to find these deficiencies?