Nine More USFK Camps to be Handed Over
It is about time these camps were finally handed over:
South Korea has concluded its negotiations with the United States on the relocation of nine U.S. military bases in its country, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
  The process was concluded Thursday as a joint committee under the South Korea-United States status of forces agreement (SOFA) approved and signed the agreement on the relocation of the bases, the ministry said.
  “After taking necessary steps for the efficent use of the land at an early date, the government plans to consult with local autonomous bodies to map out how to use the returned land,” the ministry said in a press release.
  The relocation of the bases are part of a long-term, multi-billion dollar project to realign and move the U.S. forces in South Korea further south to the rear of the inter-Korean border.
  The bases to be relocated include Camp Edwards in Paju, just north of Seoul, Camp Sears and Camp Essayons, both also just north of the South Korean capital, according to the ministry.
As OFK has rightfully pointed out the North Korean stooges usual suspects are complaining about environmental damage and cost sharing for the USFK transformation. The pollution argument is of course bogus as I have pointed out before and the cost sharing is even more laughable considering the property value of the land being returned to the Korean government that the closed out USFK camps occupy is of much greater value compared to the price of land for some rice paddies outside Camp Humphreys. If anything the Korean government is going to turn a profit on the land especially when it aquires the Yongsan Garrison land in the heart of Seoul.Â
Well is seems to me the Koreans have taken control of Sears and Essayons along with Falling Water and Kyle. These camps are mearly run down ares which are being looted by the workers who occupy the camps
I tried to take some pics of Kyle but the Guards told my wife that the camp was TOP SECRET. Well I dont know what that means but after scaling a near by apartment building, TOP SECRET means they removed windows and do not cut the grass.
On another note is seems quite obvious to me the current USFK leadership has no concept of history or tradition in Korea. The Essayons sign was removed from the front gate of the Camp about 7 months ago to Camp Stanley. I thought for certain it was going to be left as a historical shrine honoring the camp and its namesake. Nope Wrong….it was painted over much like the Kyle sign and now it reads something about the Warrior reception center.
The Second ID is no longer anything as it was. Troops are now stationed at Non ID camps like Humphreys with its Soldiers driving POVs around the country
Ask anyone what the WESTERN CORRIDOR is and I bet no one knows
Also the new Field at Humphreys was named INDEPENDENCE PARK. Why would it be named that I wonder. Maybe it could of been Called BEACON Field or something like that since its located at the foot a BEACON HILL….a Korean War Historical Site…..and Japanese Historical Site…..but no they went with INDEPENDENCE PARK. Independence from what I wonder…Common Sense?
Who names these places….ahhh the same persons who still cant figure out a bus should run BEFORE 0530 on post or duh lets hire a part time worker so the gas station does not open so late on Thursdays (it opens at 1300 on thursday because the employees cannot go over 40 hours a week)
Or the same people who continue to hire Korean Locals to work the PX and wonder why they blackmarket beer, Look at the way people park and driver off post…how the police ignores the situation….do we really want this same mentality working around blackmarket items>
I've not been following the relocation issue until recently. I know the original justification for stationing US troops on or near the DMZ was that they would serve as a "tripwire" if the North Koreans attacked. If they're no longer a tripwire, what's the point in moving so many elsewhere in the country? If the idea is to retain a US presence for political purposes only, you could accomplish that with fewer troops and expense…
[…] [GI Korea] Nine More USFK Camps to be Handed Over Published: Sun, 03 Jun 2007 12:39:54 +0000 It is about time these camps were finally handed over: South Korea has concluded its negotiations with the United States on the relocation of nine U.S. military bases in its country, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. Â*Â* The process was concluded Thursday as a joint committee under the South Korea-United States status of forces agreement (SOFA) approved […] Read More… […]
I didn't see the list of nine, but I believe most have been closed for a while. We are not all party to the reasoning behind all this, except that the downsizing is necessary to reduce numbers and prepare for returning Yongsan to the ROK and accepting the Army Garrison Humphreys as our new southern home. Progress will happen, albeit on Korea time.
I like the idea of preserving landmark names! Perhaps I will forward your comments to someone who might fight to preserve "Beacon Hill" at Humphreys and other sites. The VFW would be a good place to start. Places like "Hill 180" & "Hill 170" on Osan AFB, and others should never be forgotten. The Air Force has hired Historians (GS-11's) for every Base. Not sure if the Army has.
South Korean society, especially the areas of influence in it, will not fail to take note of what has been going on in the US. They saw the Republican party lose a big election. They saw Donald Rumsfeld fall on his sword. They have seen USFK and the Pentagon back off issues it had been pushing consistently since 2002. They have seen Bush take a constant, relentless pounding by the US and Western media, and they have seen that beating gain results recently.
In short, the US will seem weaker to them, and the threat of losing USFK has all but disappeared compared to what they (SK)clearly displayed beginning in early 2003.
The next 12 to 24 months will be interesting to watch – in both SK and the US with the presidential election coming in the US.
I thought the number of big ticket anti-US in Korea items in 2006-2007 would push SK to overcome its fear of losing USFK, and I was wrong.
Now, that fear itself is gone…
I wonder what will happen???
I read this blog with some interest, since I have been in Korea a great deal of time since 1965. I have lived in Chuncheon City for approximately 15 years. The camp closings are an example of the small minority dictating to the large majority. By this I mean there are a very small number of those who protest the military bases, and they are the same people who have made a vocation out of it, defeating the large majority of those who lived through the Korean conflict and know the importance of deterrance. Unfortunately those in Government power are using this as yet another political ploy to make a few Koreans richer and the US Military look like it does not know what it is doing. DUH! Example: Camp Page in Chuncheon City at one time contributed very large amounts of money to the local economy, as well as employeed in excess of 700 civilian workers. Chuncheon city, for years has wanted the base because it has a well maintained landing strip, tower, maintenance hangers, and apartment type buuildings, and as Chuncheon is a tourist city, it would be perfect for a local airport. In their infinate wisdom, the US turned over Camp Page causing a large majority of the civilian workers to become unempolyed, taking the military money away from the local ecomomy and turning what was once a very well maintained base into a weed ridden garbage dump. To add insult to injury, now Chuncheon City has decided they can not afford to take over the istallation, citing costs of fuel clean-up as a reason. Now Camp Page, which was at once a primary blocking force against North Korea (For those who know their history, When the North invaded in the 50's they came straight through the Chuncheon Corridor) with WSD-K as a primary Unit, into just another eyesore on Koreas landscape. If you add 10 or 15 small installations with Camp Page, calculate the costs to the Korean economy, with monotery loss and unemployment, it seems to me it is a very large loss. It is evident that common sence and thoughts of the Korean economy are the last priority of those makeing the command decision in reference to base closings. I apologize for being long winded, but it irks me to see our Government playing puppet to a few rich, while the majority of the Korean populace suffers the consequences……
Ganbaba,
There are multiple reasons why the camp closures are happening and the anti-US hate groups are only part of the reason. Another part of the reason is that by relocating down south US soldiers are no longer hostages to North Korean artillery. Also the camps in Uijongbu and Dongducheon have become surrounded by an urban jungle which makes just moving military equipment much less training extremely difficult. The camp relocation lessens this problem considerbly.
Something else to remember is that the Korean government is not paying their fair share of the USFK upkeep thus causing General Bell to slash jobs. The camp relocation makes it easier to eliminate jobs to fit the budget General Bell is working with.
Also Chuncheon city cannot take over the camps because the federal government has decided to take the land without offering them to the local governments. Since this deal just got worked out that is why nothing has been happening on Camp Page or any of the other camps making them eye sores. Over the coming year since the land has finally been officially turned over you may see something happen with the land.
Like I said there is a variety of reasons for what is going on and the camp relocation is overall for USFK a good thing.
I can understand the need for bases like Casey, with infantry and armord units requiring training areas, and yes I agree that TDC has become an urban jungle, and I also know that since the latest rounds of realignments, Camp Red Cloud has become nothing more than a buss stop, but I also feel that units like the Blackhawk units that were at Page and Eagle were established (this of course after many realignments) as a first response in case of Notrh Korean agression. Moving this type of base further south will only cause a much slower response in the event that something did happen, and put the entire area, including Seoul, in much greater danger. Is this a real possiblility??? Who can say. For those who have been in Korea for some time, we have become accustomed to the posturing and threats by the North. But we also know that someone, ie the North; can only be pushed into a corner so far before they over react and the threat becomes real. And I agree that the present Korean government only pays lip service to a lot of the issues that it should be the forerunner of, but the fact still reamins is that the only reson that US forces are in Korea are as a deterrant. If we can not fulfill that obligation, we should do what we do best, and that is pack our rucks and leave. I guess I may be a bit bitter, being a Viet-Nam vet, and what we endured, but with all that is happening in the world with our forces, being used a political pawns, and not for the protection of our homeland, it is time to either put up or shut up. It is, and always has been my interpertation that the reason we are in Korea is to protect the People of South Korea. It happens far too often that we can see the forest for the trees, and lose cite of what we are here for. We become so politically involved that the poloitics of the situation takes a front row seat, instead of the real reason(s) we do something. For far too long I have observed the military/government and how it operates ( I am 61 years old and have been in and around the military since I was 17), how it handles its budgets and how it wastes money that I really feel it is beyond repair. I could give you hundreds of examples, starting with the fact that new barracks were still under construction when Camp Page closed, but then someone would try to convince me that because of contractural laws, etc, etc, that it had to be that way. If I plan on selling my apartment in 2 years I am not going to start a complete remodeling porject :). I know that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people are unaware of, but comon sence is comon sence, it there seems to be a lack there of :). Sometimes the people are not as dumb as the governments think they are…..