USFK Commander Lifts Curfew for the Next 90 Days
Here we go again with the lifting of the USFK curfew:
The United States Forces Korea (USFK) has temporarily lifted an off-duty curfew on its troops here lasting between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., USFK chief Gen. Robert Abrams announced Monday, saying the suspension will be re-evaluated after 90 days.
The step follows a policy review ordered by the USFK general after he took charge of the USFK last November. After the three-month trial run, Abrams will determine whether to rescind or maintain the off-installation overnight curfew.
That would depend on troop behavior, morale and readiness factors, according to the USFK, stressing the importance of maintaining good relations with South Korea and “to continue enabling a culture of self-policing both on and off duty.”
“The suspension of curfew is to guarantee more of soldiers’ rights to have their own life as we share the perception that there has been a growing consciousness among soldiers” to follow Korean laws, a spokesman for United States Army Garrison (USAG) Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, told The Korea Times.
Korea Times
You can read more at the link, but the Korea Times claims the curfew was put in place after the 9/11 attacks. That is not true, there was a curfew in place for the 2nd Infantry Division before 9/11. However, each unit did have a limited number of Warrior Passes that could be given out to high performing soldiers.
Anyway my opinion on the whole curfew controversy is that there is going to eventually be an incident that happens. It is just simple math that with the thousands of U.S. military personnel in Korea odds are that somebody is going to do something stupid or criminal.
So when it happens is the command just going to reimplement the curfew? That is what happened the last time the curfew was lifted. If so why remove it in the first place?
Leadership always tried to say the curfew was put in place for readiness, so if they are lifting the curfew I guess Korea doesn’t have to be ready anymore. Everyone knows it was trying to keep the number of incidents down. As far as incidents, don’t remember what incident got the curfew put back in place this last time…so many to choose from.
Awesome! Can go to pt right from the club again! lol š
On another site, 2ID was 4:3 odds on favorite to be the unit to cause USFK to restore the curfew. In the late 1980s the only place I knew of with a curfew was the Turtle Farm. We never had one in the Western Corridor (there had been one but it had been rescinded before my arrival) and we were 100% accountability under one hour (under 30 minutes actually) on every alert.
I always found it hilarious that someone’s 16-year old daughter in Yongsan had no curfew but I as a grown man did and could end my career violating it.
“I always found it hilarious that someoneās 16-year old daughter in Yongsan had no curfew but I as a grown man did and could end my career violating it.”
I find it hilarious that a grown man would make such a comparison. Seriously, hasn’t this particular aspect of the curfew been explained to death?
Smokes what is the difference between a 19 year old dependent and a 19 year old soldier? One can go out and party in Itaewon all night and their sponsor cannot leave post to bring them home before the MPs or KNP get to them. The other will face a career ending incident if their watch is a little slower than the gate guards clock. True soldiers are wired a little differently than a dependent but in the end both are 19 year olds with hormones and not fully wired brains. It also begs the question I asked in 1989 when told about āCinderella Passesā Why then do troops in Japan, Okinawa & Europe not locked down as well? Of course USFJ and Okinawa have since placed curfews, but as far as I can tell the troops in Europe are still unrestricted, at least if weekends in the Red Light District in Amsterdam is any indication, especially since there are less than 100 soldiers in the Netherlands and they are on the Belgian border.