Author Marin Limon has new book out titled, “The Line” that has been previewed in the Korea Times. Part of the book has to do with black-marketing in South Korea:
The cover of Martin Limon’s latest book, “The Line,” released this week
But in the five tours totaling 10 years I served in Korea I never once saw the 8th Army brass falter or even slow down in their manic quest to stop the black market. In their opinion, the yobo menace had to be stopped. Even to the extent that once a GI and his family members were shipped back to the States, if the Korean wife returned to visit her mother and show off the grandkids, she wasn’t allowed even a few dollars ration to purchase anything in the PX. Not baby formula, not diapers, nothing. This despite being a bona fide military dependent with, supposedly, full Commissary and PX privileges.
Meanwhile, the college-aged children of high-ranking officers who flew to Korea to visit their parents during summer break received a full ration. As did Officers’ Wives’ Club members from Japan on a shopping junket. Even members of some foreign embassies received ration control plates, as did their dependents.
But a Korean GI wife? No ration for her unless 8th Army was forced into it.
During the late 1970s, I was assigned to the strangest duty of my military career. We were given an armband and told to stand at the end of the checkout line at the Yongsan Commissary and write down the names of any dependent wives or GIs purchasing excessive amounts of non-controlled items. Examples were bananas, Spam and frozen oxtail. I felt like a fool. So did most of the other guys on the detail. One of them wrote to his Congressman complaining that he hadn’t enlisted in the military in order to save the world from a Spam apocalypse.
Shortly thereafter, the detail was canceled, no explanation given.
Stop the yobos! That was the real impetus behind 8th Army’s ration control policy. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but the biggest black-marketeers in my opinion were not the Korean women buying too many oxtails, but the AAFES employees.
I did over 5 years in Korea and I’m not going to say the the black market was thriving while I was there but I didn’t have to spent any of my paycheck on the basic necessities like rent, electricity, food… Certain items commanded higher prices at certain times of the year, like alcohol around the Korean holidays. My wife kept the largest room of our apartment stocked waiting for the right time to sell. I called that room the commissary annex.
The Stars and Stripes did a story back in the late 80s or early 90s where they compared how many people were extended commissary privileges to how much rice, spam and other items were sold. They determined that everybody would have had to have consumed 10 pounds of rice every day. They also would have had to have eaten 12 cans of spam daily.
I often wondered how many people Hormel Foods Corporation would have to lay off if USFK did somehow manage to stop the black market…
Flyingsword
6 years ago
AAFES and cimmissary empliyees are/were the biggest offenders. But i have to have my card scanned for a cup of ciffee.
Ole Tanker
6 years ago
Another example of the “Haves and Have Nots” socio-economic construct. Offcers and Brass get more, little guy gets screwed.
Parris Island first sergeant to face hearing over $1.5 million razor theft
A Marine first sergeant previously stationed at the Corps’ recruit depot aboard Parris Island, South Carolina, will face a preliminary military hearing over his alleged involvement in a razor blade theft ring.
The first sergeant was named by his initials in an Oct. 10 indictment that purported the Marine noncommissioned officer conspired with three Defense Department civilian employees, working at the recruit store and warehouse at the depot, to steal nearly $1.5 million in Gillette razors.
I probably told this story before, but here it is again:
My wife was in Korea on a vacation with our kids. She wanted to buy a gallon of milk and some formula for our son, but was turned away since she didn’t have a RCP. I ended up coming out on leave, and they issued her an RCP for the duration of my leave, and not one day more.
The MPs were kind enough to tell her where the Black Market stores were located, but she didn’t want to go there. Why should she? She had her dependent’s ID. It should have been enough.
The MP’s and CID in Korea were Idiots. I got there and had to go to the field, I left my wife at home and she had a full Power of Attorney. Needed a refrigerator and stove, They wouldn’t let her buy either. The haves and the have nots!
guitard
6 years ago
“If the Korean wife returned to visit her mother and show off the grandkids, she wasn’t allowed even a few dollars ration to purchase anything in the PX.”
I got married in the early ’80s while stationed in 2ID. Even with a dependent ID card, my wife was not allowed to go into the commissary or PX, except during a special one week period leading up to Christmas where she was allowed to go into the PX (but not commissary). I believe they were able to get away with this because back then the only adult dependents in Area I were Korean wives. If there had been any non-Korean wives, you can bet they would have raised holy hell and got access to the commissary and PX. As far as I’m concerned, it was blatant racism fully sponsored and directed by the 2ID leadership.
Granted stuff like this existed–may even still exist–but the timing is very convenient for Pyongyang.
RockMarne
6 years ago
I remember a couple of the sergeants in my unit during the mid-1980s got caught and tried by court martial for “racetracking.” They would get hooked up with an AAFES cabbie and in the span of a day or so visit about a dozen camps to buy electronic items like VCRs, stereo receivers, TVs, etc.. I guess some of the KGS guards at the gates were also in on this scheme. One SGT was charged with doing that for over $25,000.00 of electronics, but I don’t know what his cut of the profits was. He was sentenced to a year’s confinement and a BCD, if I remember right.
I did over 5 years in Korea and I’m not going to say the the black market was thriving while I was there but I didn’t have to spent any of my paycheck on the basic necessities like rent, electricity, food… Certain items commanded higher prices at certain times of the year, like alcohol around the Korean holidays. My wife kept the largest room of our apartment stocked waiting for the right time to sell. I called that room the commissary annex.
The Stars and Stripes did a story back in the late 80s or early 90s where they compared how many people were extended commissary privileges to how much rice, spam and other items were sold. They determined that everybody would have had to have consumed 10 pounds of rice every day. They also would have had to have eaten 12 cans of spam daily.
I often wondered how many people Hormel Foods Corporation would have to lay off if USFK did somehow manage to stop the black market…
AAFES and cimmissary empliyees are/were the biggest offenders. But i have to have my card scanned for a cup of ciffee.
Another example of the “Haves and Have Nots” socio-economic construct. Offcers and Brass get more, little guy gets screwed.
Not just in Korea:
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/10/25/parris-island-first-sergeant-to-face-hearing-over-15-million-razor-theft/
I probably told this story before, but here it is again:
My wife was in Korea on a vacation with our kids. She wanted to buy a gallon of milk and some formula for our son, but was turned away since she didn’t have a RCP. I ended up coming out on leave, and they issued her an RCP for the duration of my leave, and not one day more.
The MPs were kind enough to tell her where the Black Market stores were located, but she didn’t want to go there. Why should she? She had her dependent’s ID. It should have been enough.
MTB, you’re 100% correct.
The MP’s and CID in Korea were Idiots. I got there and had to go to the field, I left my wife at home and she had a full Power of Attorney. Needed a refrigerator and stove, They wouldn’t let her buy either. The haves and the have nots!
“If the Korean wife returned to visit her mother and show off the grandkids, she wasn’t allowed even a few dollars ration to purchase anything in the PX.”
I got married in the early ’80s while stationed in 2ID. Even with a dependent ID card, my wife was not allowed to go into the commissary or PX, except during a special one week period leading up to Christmas where she was allowed to go into the PX (but not commissary). I believe they were able to get away with this because back then the only adult dependents in Area I were Korean wives. If there had been any non-Korean wives, you can bet they would have raised holy hell and got access to the commissary and PX. As far as I’m concerned, it was blatant racism fully sponsored and directed by the 2ID leadership.
Granted stuff like this existed–may even still exist–but the timing is very convenient for Pyongyang.
I remember a couple of the sergeants in my unit during the mid-1980s got caught and tried by court martial for “racetracking.” They would get hooked up with an AAFES cabbie and in the span of a day or so visit about a dozen camps to buy electronic items like VCRs, stereo receivers, TVs, etc.. I guess some of the KGS guards at the gates were also in on this scheme. One SGT was charged with doing that for over $25,000.00 of electronics, but I don’t know what his cut of the profits was. He was sentenced to a year’s confinement and a BCD, if I remember right.