Taxi cabs are probably the top area where incidents between USFK servicemembers and Koreans happen.  In fact the first USFK servicemember tried in a Korean court all the way back in 1967 was a taxi cab related incident.  The place where the second most amount of incidents happen between servicemembers and Koreans has to be the Seoul subway.  Gusts of Popular Feeling has an informative posting that brings to light one of the most well known subway incidents that happened back in 1995 when an American soldier was assaulted for trying to protect his Korean wife.  Here is an excerpt from the New York Times article that explains what happened:

It all began when an American soldier put his hand on a Korean woman’s rump.

The version that has captured the local imagination is that a group of drunken American soldiers were rampaging through the subway, molesting Korean women, and that the soldiers then attacked good citizens who dared protest the errant hand.

The American understanding of events starts with a fact that the Koreans tend to leave out: The American soldier and the Korean woman whose behind he patted were in fact a married couple.

The Americans say the problems arose when some angry young Koreans on the subway accused the American of sexually harassing the Korean woman. When the Korean woman explained that she was the American’s wife, the Korean men allegedly spat at her and slapped her — leading the woman’s husband to punch the man who slapped her.

In any case, the result that evening in May was a huge brawl in the subway. It has reverberated through the country and underscored the delicacy of the mission of the 37,000 American military personnel in bases in South Korea.  [New York Times]

The soldier in question, his wife, and his friends that were with them initially received jail time, but after appealing, their sentences were reduced to fines while the Korean who started the brawl got away totally free.  This was 1995 and you would think the Koreans and the Korean legal system in general would have evolved since then.  Guess what, things haven’t changed that much.  If anything it can be argued that things have only gotten worse with soldiers being attacked & kidnapped on the subway, beaten, and then forced to make coerced statements on national television among a host of other highly dubious incidents that the Koreans involved were not punished for. In fact these attackers of GIs are often considered heroes!

Justice for GIs continues to be hard to find in Korea and it didn’t start in 1995 and it shows no signs of ending today.

Note: You can read more GI Flashbacks articles by clicking on the below link: 

If you live in the Seoul area and our looking for some place to view the changing leaves this fall and experience a little Korean history I highly recommend taking a trip north to Uijongbu and the nearby Gwangneung area:

Gwangneung is where the tombs for King Sejo and his wife Jeonghui are buried. King Sejo ruled Korea from 1455-1468. Sejo is the second son of King Sejong who is widely regarded as the greatest King in Korean history. Though Sejo who’s birth name is Suyang was the son of a great King he was never meant to be King himself. When King Sejong died his oldest son Munjong took power but was sick and died soon after leaving the crown to his oldest son Danjong who was only 12 years old.

Since Danjong was only 12 years old the court premiers Hwang bo-in and General Kim Jong-seo effectively controlled the government. Suyang and his allies saw the consolidating of power by the premiers as a threat and moved to destroy them. In October 1453 Suyang and his faction launched a coup and killed both Hwang bo-in and General Kim Jong-seo. Suyang then forced the 12 year old Danjong to abdicate the throne. Once he took the throne, he became known as King Sejo. To further ensure his power Sejo forced his own younger brother Anpyong to drink poison ensuring no future threats to the throne.

Besides launching bloody coups and forcing his younger brother to drink poison Sejo really wasn’t to bad of a guy. He is credited with strengthening the government, improving the economy, launching successful military offensives against the Jurchen barbarians in the north, funding the creation of many inventions, and the publishing of many books and records.

However, seeing his tomb is not the main reason to come to Gwangneung. The best reason to come here are the fabulous trees:

Gwangneung tombs are part of the greater Korea National Arboretum. The arboretum is filled with massive trees that have some how survived being chopped down or destroyed by war over the years. You will be hard pressed to find larger trees in Korea than what is found in the arboretum:

To reach the tombs of King Sejo and his wife you need to take a short walk up a hill lined with beautiful trees:

At the top of the path you will see the royal shrine to King Sejo and his wife:

The shrine is flanked by two hill tops on each side of it that are capped with tombs of the king and his wife:

I highly recommend bring a lunch here and walking around and exploring the area because the trees and scenery are just spectacular:

To visit the National Arboretum you need to make a reservation and pay a 1000 won fee. You do not need a reservation to visit the royal tombs and admission is only 700 won. You can catch a bus or taxi to Gwangneung from the Uijongbu bus terminal but I actually rode my bike to Gwangneung from Uijongbu before. A spectacular bike ride but if you do take a bike I recommend leaving early because the rode does get busy with traffic later on in the day.

Overall there are few places in Korea that make a better day trip to see the autumn foliage then Gwangneung. Definitely worth checking out this fall for everyone living in the Seoul and northern Kyeongi areas.

You can view more pictures here.

At least not everyone was clapping, but look who was:

Finance Minister Kwon O-kyu on Wednesday admitted he was embarrassed watching North Korea’s mass gymnastic propaganda performance “Arirang,” which features a cast of thousands performing in strict unison. Speaking at a forum at the Korea Press Foundation, Kwon said he “felt uncomfortable twice” during his visit to North Korea as a member of President Roh Moo-hyun’s entourage to the recent inter-Korean summit. One was when the North brought up the issue of national self-reliance, and the other when he was watching the “Arirang” show.

Kwon said he was embarrassed when only Roh and Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung gave a standing ovation to a performance by young children during the mass gymnastic program while no one else clapped. It seems he was concerned that their standing ovation could cause controversy in South Korea while North Korea could be offended that no one else applauded. [Chosun Ilbo]

Anyone suprised Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Jae-joung are clapping for child abuse?  Minister Kwon is correct that it is an embarrassment that the South Korean government would be willing to watch a propaganda show put on by abused children.  It is only fitting Lee Jae-joung would be giving a standing ovation considering he believes there is "no concrete evidence of human rights violations in the North ". 

Who can name what this is and where it is located?

Here are this year’s current Korea Finder Leader’s Board:

Mark – 11
Sonagi – 5
Chickenhead – 5
James – 2
Mike – 2
Peekstr – 1
HumKor – 1
Farty – 1
Maui – 1
kcbill06 – 1
CPT Kim – 1
Tim – 1
Surabol – 1
Brendon Carr – 1
Dr. Yu – 1
foflappy – 1
Rob – 1

Note that who ever totals the most points at the end of the year, I will purchase for them a Korea related book or DVD of their choice using the proceeds I have accumulated by people purchasing books from Amazon.com on my website. If you like this website than please support it by buying your books, DVDs, and other products from Amazon.com from the search box on my sidebar. Thanks.

I can’t believe it took Israel this long to find out about a Nazi themed bar in South Korea:

Israel’s envoy to South Korea expressed anger Monday over the reported existence of a Nazi-themed suburban Seoul bar.

“It’s really revolting,” Ambassador Yigal Caspi said of the drinking establishment reported Tuesday by the Korea Herald newspaper.

Along with its article about the bar, the English-language paper published a photo of a red Nazi swastika it said adorns the establishment’s entrance.

The paper, however, published neither the bar’s name nor the municipality where it is located, saying it did not want to “give them any publicity.”

It said only that the bar is in a “northern city of Seoul.” [AP]

I hope the Israeli embassy doesn’t think this is the only Nazi bar in Korea either. Their are Nazi bars across the country like this one in Pusan:

Even better take a look at the interior of this other Hitler Bar:

Heck the Hitler Bar in Shinchon was featured in TIME Magazine before:

A small photo of Adolf Hitler adorns the entrance to the Fifth Reich, an upscale watering hole in Seoul’s Shinchon university district. A larger picture of the Fuhrer hangs across from the bar, where waiters and waitresses with swastika arm badges mix drinks that have names like “Adolf Hitler”and “Dead.” Young people chat at booths surrounded by statues of golden eagles, romanesque columns and large glass display cases of SS insignia. Nazi pins and Iron Crosses are on sale beside the cash register. It almost looks like a quiet shrine to the man who sent 6 million Jews to their deaths in the Holocaust. But this isn’t a neo-Nazi hangout. Some of the patrons aren’t even quite sure who Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were. Others, like regular patron Chung Jae Kyung, 22, are aware of the evil the Nazis did but not especially moved by it. “I don’t hate them, I don’t like them,” says Chung, a neatly dressed English-lit student with an easy smile. “But at least they dressed well.”

You always hear about how great the Israeli intelligence agencies are, so how the heck does the Israeli embassy not know about Nazi bars in Korea especially when they are featured in TIME magazine? These bars are literally all over Korea.

While were on the topic of anti-semitism in South Korea, I wish the AP would have asked the Israeli envoy what he thought about this.  I’m sure these pictures would raise some eyebrows at the Israeli embassy as well.

It sounds to me like the embassy is just doing their job:

As it stands now, John David Ruiz isn’t a citizen of any country.

John is the newborn son of Camp Casey transition center employee Juanito Ruiz, a former soldier whose application for his son’s passport and record-of-birth abroad was denied because of what the U.S. Embassy in Seoul considers questionable circumstances.

Ruiz said his four previous marriages and his foreign wife’s unexpected pregnancy shouldn’t count against the infant.

“I married badly, so what? Why are we using this against my son?” Ruiz asked. “I have no doubt whatsoever that the child is mine.”  [Erik Slavin – Stars & Stripes]

Basically this guy has to get a DNA test to prove the child is his in order to get the proper paperwork for his child. The test costs $1,640 bucks. If the guy is adamant about getting his child US citizenship he should just pay to get the DNA test done. 

More over at Marmot’s Hole.

Picture courtesy of DPRK Studies.

The battle flag taken by US Marines in the American Campaign of 1871 on Gangwha Island is being returned via a lease to the Korean government:

The United States has agreed to return a Korean battle flag to South Korea this month on a lease basis, 126 years after the U.S. Navy captured it during an armed conflict here in the 19th century, officials at a state-run culture administration said Tuesday.

The 4.5-meter by 4.5-meter flag has been on display at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland since the U.S. took it as "spoils" from Korean general Uh Je-yeon during a 1871 battle at Gwangseong Fort in Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul. The conflict broke out as the U.S. attempted to open Korea to trade, and was subsequently christened by the New York Herald as "Our Little War With The Heathen."
The Culture Heritage Administration said the U.S. Naval Academy has agreed on a up to 10-year lease of the flag to the South Korean side.  [Yonhap]

I really don’t have a problem with the return of the flag, but I have to wonder if anything was done to get South Korea to pressure North Korea into returning the USS Pueblo in return for the US giving the battle flag back to South Korea.  I have steadfastly argued that we should cut no deals with North Korea and leverage maximum pressure on South Korea to return the USS Pueblo. 

Sadly I believe the sacrifices of the men of the USS Pueblo are as forgotten now by our country’s leadership as they were in 1968.

I highly recommend everyone read OFK’s take on all the recent US initiatives regarding North Korea.  He offers an interesting option that I hadn’t thought of before regarding the influencing of the South Korean election, but could the Bush Administration be that clever?