The national government and the Seoul city government are finding themselves increasingly at odds over what will happen to the prime piece of real estate in the middle of Seoul once the Yongsan Garrison relocation happens:

But the Seoul Metropolitan Government and some activists are up in arms about the plan, saying the central government is trying to legislate a special law to pave the way for development of some portion of the base in a bid to finance the relocation of the U.S. base. In a statement, Seoul City denounced the plan ceremony as ignoring the hopes of Seoul citizens to see the entire base area turned into a park. ¿The central government says it will turn the whole area of the base into a park, but it turns a deaf ear to the Seoul Metropolitan Government¿s demand to scrap Article 14 of the special law that would allow it to use the park for other purposes,¿ the statement says. ¿It has also rejected our proposal to specify the total scale and boundary of the park in the law.¿

The city government worries that the Construction Ministry would develop some portion of the land for commercial and residential purposes to finance the base relocation and wants the ministry guarantee that 810,000 pyeong (one pyeong=3.3 sq.m) of the 870,000-pyeong land will be turned into a park.

Seoul city mayor Oh Se-hoon due to the controversy with the national government didn’t even attend Korean President Roh Moo-hyun’s address proclaiming the national government’s post-Yongsan plan.  Here is what President Roh had to say about the government’s plans:

The government says it plans to lay out a massive park to preserve the green zone and commemorate the history of the area by 2045, the 100th anniversary of Korea¿s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. ¿It feels as though Yongsan is finally returning to Korea,¿ President Roh Moo-hyun said in an address. ¿After Japan occupied Korea, Yongsan was used as a stronghold for an imperialist country¿s invasion and rule. And after Korea achieved liberation, the U.S military stationed there reminded us of the fact that Korea relies on the U.S for national defense. But a park will be built in the area to symbolize the independence and peace of Korea.¿

Notice that President Roh has no intention of turning any portion of Yongsan into a park due to any environmental reasons; it is all about nationalism and equating the US presence at Yongsan with the Japanese occupiers prior to World War II.  Also notice the time line that any park would be complete by 2045.  That is plenty of time to build some high rise apartments make the national government some money and then knock them down in time for the 2045 deadline.

Look who else has made an appearance over this issue:

Some 30 environmental groups including the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement and Green Korea also urged the government to scrap the special law. ¿The plan to build a park in Yongsan should be a project to restore national pride and protect an ecosystem in Seoul,¿ they said at a press conference. ¿We cannot tolerate the central government¿s plan to sell a portion of the land and allow the construction of commercial and residential facilities to finance the relocation of the U.S. base.¿

Yes, Green Korea the same one’s who have been declaring recently closed US military bases as being “polluted” and a danger to the Korean population now wants Yongsan turned into a park as well.  Wouldn’t that threaten the lives of all the innocent Koreans out there who might attend this park because of all the USFK pollution on the base?  Yongsan’s pollution must be worse than any of the recently closed 2ID bases because Yongsan’s pollution even created a monster in the Han River.  However, notice just like I have been saying about their pollution claims against USFK bases it is not about environmentalism, it is about anti-US nationalism.  The first words coming out of their mouths is “to restore national pride”.  You never hear a real environmental group like the Sierra Club claiming “to restore national pride” as reasons to protect an ecosystem, yet that is what passes as environmentalism in Korea.  I guess there is no, “to restore national pride” reasons for Green Korea to campaign against for example all the picnickers polluting the Korean countryside every day.

I will go on the record and say I would be amazed if all of Yongsan Garrison is turned into a park and can understand why Mayor Oh Se-hoon is at odds with the government.  Mayor Oh is the newly elected mayor of Seoul who ran on a platform to make more of Seoul green in order to improve the quality of life of the city’s citizens and bring international recognition to the city for it’s efforts to improve the environment.

However, before a park or a sea of high rise apartments can be built, Yongsan Garrison has to be relocated.  Any bets if it will be relocated by 2008 as planned?  I for one think that is about as likely as all of Yongsan’s land being turned into a park.

No one can claim that I don’t help out the Korean government because the webmaster for the official Korean government website, Korea.net requested my assistance to help spread the word that the Korea.net website has been overhauled and in fact the site does look good and has a special promotional event going on to attract foreigners to the website.  Here is the official add:

====================Korea.net Promotional Event =========================
Korea.net quiz offering foreign visitors a chance to win and learn
To show off our newly designed website, Korea.net is offering USB memory sticks and other prizes to randomly selected winners of our Dynamic Korea quiz.

Event period: Aug. 23~ Sep. 5, 2006
Winners announced Sep. 11, 2006 on www.korea.net

========================================================================

Here is an interview with Bill Taylor who is a senior international security advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who has some interesting things to say about the current state of the US-ROK relations:

Back in 1961-62, when I spent my first year in Korea, communications technology was so basic and slow that local events around our base and in Seoul were not reported widely. Elections and the opinion of opposing political parties were not big news. Organizations advocating important causes did not generally lead to mass demonstrations.

With exceptions such as the Gwangju massacre, where there were major differences between Seoul and Washington, most issues were sorted out routinely between government representatives without becoming major news in the print and radio media. Those days are long gone. Years of accelerating information technology, economic growth, establishment of democratic institutions in Korea and the end of The Cold War have changed Korea profoundly.

Increasingly, the media seizes on and reports issues in sensational ways that tend to polarize public opinion regarding issues pertaining to the U.S.-ROK alliance.

Mr. Taylor does make a good observation that South Korea has long had the anti-US groups operating in it; it is just that now these groups have the ability through technology to have their messages heard by the masses through television and most importantly the internet.

Here is what he has to say about the current North Korea nuclear crisis:

I would first urge my own government to support the lead of our ally the Republic of Korea in dealing with North Korea based on the fundamental premise that Seoul probably has a better understanding of Pyongyang’s intentions and capabilities than does Washington. Second, I would internalize the fact that, historically, wars start more often than not by accident or miscalculation at times of high tension and that we Americans should consider a war with North Korea unthinkable.

The outcome of war would be a classic Pyrrhic victory. That is we would win a high tech war in a matter of days or weeks while sustaining hundreds of thousands of casualties among our own people. Third, while sustaining deterrent capabilities, I would urge direct U.S. talks with North Korea in the context of the Six-Party Talks — as all other members of that forum keep urging. When The World’s Sole Superpower can’t/won’t talk directly with another sovereign state to achieve our own vital interests, something is amiss.

This here just didn’t make since to me.  Mr. Taylor wants the US to let South Korea take the lead in negotiations with the North, but at the same time wants the US to conduct direct talks with the North.  The US has been consistent on trying to have South Korea handle the nuclear issue, but the only thing the South Korean government is interested in is appeasement of the North through the Sunshine Policy to keep the regime afloat and delay unification so South Koreans can keep driving Hyundais and vacationing on Guam instead of having to rebuild North Korea.  The US has amazingly enough gotten more accomplished on this issue through the Chinese government than anything Seoul has ever done.

One thing I can agree on with Mr. Taylor is that war should be unthinkable, but as far as sustaining hundreds of thousands US casualties if war broke out; the US wouldn’t have to worry about that troops on the peninsula were reduced and consolidated on Camp Humphreys as planned or pull them out all together.  The ROK Army would be the ones sustaining the hundreds of thousands of casualties while the US could provide logistical and aerial support.

Here is what he has to say about the war time command issue:

I would urge patience on the part of the government of the Republic of Korea, and a concerted effort to work on U.S.-ROK alliance issues such as change in wartime command and control in a quiet, methodical way focused on national security strategy that avoids sensationalism in Korean domestic politics.

Good luck in trying to stop politicians, anti-US groups, and the media from demagoging this issue to advance their causes because it just isn’t going to happen under the leadership of President Roh.  He in fact encourages it.

Anyway the interview is a decent read and the story about Mr. Taylor arriving for the first time to Korea in the middle of Park Chung-hee’s coup is quite interesting as well.  Worth checking out.

I have been busy, but I’m back again for more regular blogging.  The day job still pays the bills thus requiring me to take off every now and then.  You all would have to buy a whole lot more of my Amazon book links in order to make up for the day job income, thus continue to expect blogging interruptions every now and then.

Anyway, I haven’t missed to much it looks like, Team USA trounced the Korean basketball team in Seoul, more fan deaths, Norks threatening a nuclear bomb test whatever, then of course there is nothing wrong with stripping prison guards, a possible ex-English teacher in Korea possibly killed Jon-Benet Ramsey, which has spurred netizen outrage while weirdos like this continue to rape women and children around Korea and no one cares, and one other English teacher is under scrutiny as well for having let’s say to much fun in Korea.  So all in all still same old wackiness in the Land of the Morning Calm.

Here is a perfect example of why it is important to remember there is always two sides to every story:

Two U.S. soldiers involved in a late-night fight with South Koreans outside a bar April 15 are telling a radically different story than what South Korean police and media have reported. They said they followed a core Army value of never leaving a buddy behind, in this case one they say was attacked by a pipe-wielding South Korean man. And, they add, they were shocked to face brutality from South Korean police officers they believed would help them.

Read the whole article for the soldier’s side of the story but to summarize basically what happened was the group of soldiers came out of the club bumped into a 19 year old South Korean man and a brawl involving other South Koreans ensued. The soldiers were getting the crap kicked out of them so they jumped into a cab but the cab driver wouldn’t take them anywhere so one of the soldiers stole the cab to escape the mob beating them down. Police stop the cab and then they too beat down the soldiers as well before throwing them in jail. That is the short and sweet summary of it.

So what happens now? Well the soldiers are looking at jail time while the Korean guy gets off:

The Korean man, 19-year-old Lee Yong-whan, told police the fight started when he and a soldier bumped shoulders. Police and prosecutors say he later changed his story and agreed to pay a $2,000 fine. They wouldn¿t provide details on Lee¿s new statements.

It is actually amazing the 19 year old actually paid a fine. Usually you can attack, kidnap, and even rape US soldiers and get away with it in Korea. So why are these soldiers looking at jail time for being attacked? Well just like prior US soldiers in Korean jail you have no right to self defense in Korea:

Servicemembers accused of a crime in South Korea face a far different ordeal than they would back home, says a private U.S. lawyer practicing in South Korea.

For starters, justifying participation in a fight or illegal activity because ¿someone else started it¿ amounts to guilt, said Brendon Carr of the Seoul-based SLG law firm.

Carr has practiced law in South Korea for 10 years and was previously based in the country as a sailor.

¿There is a right of self-defense in the U.S.,¿ Carr said. ¿There is no corresponding right in Korean law. If you take my stuff and I punch you, I¿m guilty. That¿s a tough concept for a soldier to grasp. They come from a culture of measured violence.¿

Over at Nomad’s site there has been discussion going on about why soldiers are not briefed about the fact they cannot fight back in Korea if attacked. Just for the record I have long briefed by soldiers and advocated through this site, to the ridicule of some, that is best to swallow your pride and walk away from provocations in Korea because you cannot win. The deck is too stack against GI’s and foreigners in general in Korea when it comes to the Korean justice system. This incident is a perfect example. The 19 year old Korean youth admitted to his role in the fight, yet he only pays a $2,000 fine while the soldier pays $6,000 to the 19 year old “victim” and is looking at doing 1-2 years in jail. Not to mention the fact that the GI’s got the crap beaten out them including one getting hit across the face with a metal pipe.

Also keep in mind that it is important to follow command policies which are designed to help prevent incidents like this from happening. That is why there is a curfew for one. The original Korea Times report says that the incident happened at 2AM which is past curfew. The Stars and Stripes article does give any time line, but if they were out past curfew that is a contributing factor to putting yourself at greater risk for an incident. The incident happened in the TDC Ville area across from Camp Casey. If they were in the ville during normal hours there would have been more US soldiers there to possibly help them get away from the Korean mob. That is also why certain areas in Korea such as colleges are put off limits to GI’s in order to prevent incidents like this one. Obeying this command policy would have prevented the “Shinchon Stabbing” from happening. As much as soldiers gripe about the regulations in Korea, and I don’t agree with all of them either, but they are designed to protect soldiers from incidents like this.

You will always lose when in comes to altercations with Koreans, which is what these soldiers are now finding out the hard way.

All I have to say about this is what took so long?:

Coming soon to a shoppette near you: Electronic tracking of all hard liquor sales on this U.S. military headquarters base, according to U.S. Forces Korea¿s data management office.

Already, the liquor sales at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores on main and south posts are entered into a computer at the cash register. A third computer system will be installed at the store inside the Dragon Hill Lodge in early September.

And when the military adds a fourth system at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, officials will have at their fingertips near-instantaneous records of half of the on-base liquor sales in South Korea, according to Air Force Lt. Col. Robert Hunt, USFK¿s data management division chief.

¿This will cover 50 percent of the volume of our sales,¿ Hunt said last week.

With the old system everything was tracked on paper receipts and it actually takes months before anyone receives notices that they went over their monthly limit.  So black marketers can target people who are within a few months of finishing their tours to buy alcohol for them.  Now that black marketers can be detected within days of purchase that should reduce the amount some.  Now if only they can invent a computer to detect corrupt AAFES employees doing black marketing as well.

This is sad news to read about:

Five South Korean soldiers were killed and two others were injured Wednesday when their military truck went off a road in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, the Army said Thursday.

The incident occurred around 2 a.m., it added.

Then:

Incheon Station in 1950

Now:

Incheon Station in 2003

General Bell has come out and supported the US-ROK alliance, sort of:

After days of speculation about how much and when the United States will reduce its armed forces in South Korea, the top U.S. commander here reaffirmed the importance of the more than 50 year alliance in a message posted on the U.S. Department of Defense Web site under U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

“We will remain in Korea as a reliable ally as long as we are welcome and wanted,’’ Gen. Burwell Bell said in the message.

“USFK is a steadfast partner with the ROK military as guardians of the Korean democracy. We will fight alongside our ally to defend this nation,’’ he said, using South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Notice the key words, “as long as we are welcome and wanted.”

have uploaded by latest photo album to the GI Korea photo archives, which just happens to be Dobongsan mountain which is part of the Pukhansan National Park and located just north of Seoul.  The mountain is great place to escape the summer heat and an easy subway ride from Seoul or from the 2ID area since the mountain is located just south of Uijongbu.  Go check it out.