Category: USFK

One thing to remember about troop withdrawals you have to have some place to put them back in the U.S. Money would have to be spent to build the facilities to support relocating those troops. Right now 2ID is housed on a brand new base, Camp Humphreys paid for mostly by the ROK government:

U.S. military leaders in the Indo-Pacific presented negative views about the idea of a U.S. troop reduction in South Korea on Thursday, amid lingering concerns that the Trump administration could seek a troop cut or realignment to focus more on threats from China.

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo Jr. warned the withdrawal or reduction of American troops from South Korea would raise a “higher” likelihood of a North Korean invasion, while U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson said a troop reduction would be “problematic.”

As U.S. President Donald Trump is charging ahead with his “America First” agenda, speculation has persisted that his administration could look to curtail overseas military involvement and call for allies to take greater responsibilities for their own security.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the latest on USFK’s now operational plan to counter North Korea:

South Korea and the United States signed a new joint wartime operations plan (OPLAN) last year to counter evolving North Korean military threats, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Wednesday.

Gen. Xavier Brunson made the remarks in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee, as Seoul and Washington have been deepening security coordination to deal with advancing North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threats. He also leads South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and U.N. Command.

“Last year, we took a significant step forward in our combat readiness when the new combined Operations Plan was signed,” Brunson said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

@SecDef, @DODResponse, @RepPatHarrigan, @CDRUNCCFCUSFK, @USForcesKorea, @GIKorea Please investigate the longest running scam since the end of the Korean War that is costing US taxpayers millions.
Referenced in my book, The Dawn Patrol Diaries: pic.twitter.com/xujgmdaoON

— James Card (@james__card) April 5, 2025

Remember the talk of “strategic flexibility” for USFK? Well this is what that looks like:

South Korea and the United States have recently agreed on a plan to temporarily deploy Patriot missile defense batteries from the South to the Middle East, sources said Friday, amid speculation over a potential shift in the role of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

The allies agreed last month on the “monthslong” partial deployment of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, the first known case involving the relocation of USFK assets to the Middle East, according to the sources.

The missiles work alongside South Korea’s own air defense assets in a multilayered missile defense system against North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats, according to the sources.

The rare move comes after U.S. broadcaster NBC News reported last week that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has authorized at least two Patriot missile defense batteries from Asia to be moved to the Middle East as the U.S. takes military action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but does this become the new normal for USFK where units are regularly deployed off the peninsula to respond to needs elsewhere in the world?

South Korea has much better equipped and modern military than North Korea. I feel confident they can deter North Korea if some US troops were deployed off the peninsula:

Concerns are mounting in South Korea over a potential shift in the role of the 28,500 US troops stationed here amid evolving nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

Such worries have existed for decades, but have been exacerbated following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, experts noted. The possibility of the second Trump administration diverting some of the USFK resources to help defend Taiwan against threats from China has fed worries that it would leave the South more vulnerable to the North’s provocations, they added.

“There are growing concerns over the potential scenario that Washington would leverage part of the US Forces stationed on the Korean Peninsula for broader regional security roles rather than limiting their role to deterring the North,” Yu Ji-hoon, director of external cooperation at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said via phone.

The allies have repeatedly stressed that the primary role of United States Forces Korea is to contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but the concept of strategic flexibility for USFK is not a new concept and dates back to the early 2000’s. Additionally an entire heavy brigade was deployed from Korea to Iraq back in 2004 showing that units have deployed off the peninsula before.

https://twitter.com/USForcesKorea/status/1901141354433912945

I still remember the good old days when ajummas tent followed units around in the field and now there is an AAFES mobile exchange instead:

U.S. troops arriving here for the annual Freedom Shield exercise have access to snacks, beverages and cold-weather gear, thanks to a mobile field exchange set up for the first time in a decade. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service erected the mobile field exchange, or MFE, on this base south of Seoul as part of the large-scale defense training involving thousands of American and South Korean troops.

“One of our responsibilities is to ensure that the necessities of our airmen, soldiers and Marines supporting this exercise are met,” Air Force Col. Jeff Elliot, commander of Osan’s 51st Mission Support Group, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday. “And with that, we partnered with AAFES to make sure that we could get that quality of life.”

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

UPDATE #1: It is now being reported that not one, but two KF-16’s mistakenly bombed the village. I am not a fighter pilot, but how does something like this happen?:

Several people were injured Thursday in Pocheon city after two South Korean fighter jets accidentally released eight live bombs outside a practice range, according to South Korea’s air force. The MK-82 bombs were “abnormally” dropped at 10:04 a.m. Thursday beyond an unspecified live-fire range by a pair of KF-16 fighters, according to an air force statement to reporters that day. Each jet dropped four bombs, according to the air force. The bombs were not practice rounds, a Ministry of National Defense spokesman said by phone Thursday. The MK-82 is a 500-pound, 7-foot-long free-fall bomb also employed by the U.S. military. The KF-16 is the South Korean air force’s variant of the U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon. At least 15 people, including area residents, were injured in the incident, Yonhap News reported Thursday.

Stars & Stripes

Original Posting: This a huge mistake that hopefully will not have repercussions on USFK’s continued use of Rodriguez Range as a live fire location:

An Air Force fighter jet on Thursday misdropped eight bombs outside a training range during live-fire drills, injuring civilians in the area, officials said.

The KF-16 fighter jet taking part in a live-fire exercise “abnormally” released eight MK-82 bombs outside the training range in Pocheon, 42 kilometers northeast of Seoul, at 10:04 a.m.

The Air Force said it is conducting an investigation into the accident and apologized for the damage to civilians.

(Korea Times)

You can read more at the link, but locals have complained about live fire training at Rodriguez Range near Pocheon. It will be interesting to see what caused this horrible accident because I have never heard of something like this ever happening before.

With the high quality of life now being offered on Camp Humphreys it should not be a surprise that accompanied tours in South Korea have been increased:

The Pentagon has tacked a year on the length of a tour of duty for service members who bring their families with them to South Korea. Troops on accompanied tours — those who bring their spouses or dependents with them to South Korea — are now expected to serve 36 months in the country, according to a Feb. 11 memo from Tim Dill, assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. Service members on accompanied tours were previously expected to stay two years and may still be eligible for the shorter term with a waiver from their service branch, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s office.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

The community that surrounds the USFK installation Camp Casey in South Korea is the city of Dongducheon. The city has roughly 87,000 people living in it, but for most U.S. Soldiers the only part of the city they really see is what is located immediately outside of Gate #1. This area for many decades was called the “TDC Ville” or just the “ville” for short. TDC stood for Tongducheon in reference to how the city’s name was spelled back then. The TDC Ville twenty years ago was also very seedy and packed with juicy girls.

As the U.S. military began to actively crackdown on prostitution and human trafficking, the ville tried to clean up its act in the 2010’s and rebranded itself as the Bosan-dong Special Tour District. During this timeframe the juicy girls were still there, but greatly scaled down compared to decades prior.

Now during my most recent visit to Dongducheon the ville has once again rebranded itself as Camp Bosan in English even though in Korean it is still being called the Bosan Special Tour District. Here is the large sign near Camp Casey calling the ville now Camp Bosan:

Another large Camp Bosan sign has been installed on the opposite far end of the ville as well:

For my most recent visit to Dongducheon I got off at the Bosan Subway Station and immediately began walking along the interior street adjacent to the subway line:

Here is a view looking down the street adjacent to the subway line:

As I walked near the subway line I could see that Konglish is still a thing in Dongducheon:

Here is something we did not have to worry about back in the day because we were not allowed to drive cars in Korea:

Along the strip adjacent to the subway line I could see that the King Club after decades in business is still open:

I also spotted this huge and impressive mural of a Korean woman in a hanbok on the Eagles Club:

I then turned down a side street further into the ville where I spotted another long time club called the New World. Right above the New World was the Friday Club:

It was here near the New World Club 25 years ago when I saw one of the funniest fights I had ever seen:

Ville Memories: Juicy Girls and Snowballs

I then walked to the far end of the ville where I saw this unique structure that appears to be a little cafe:

I then walked through the main walking path through the center of the ville where I spotted a bar called the Torque Bike Club:

As I continued into the ville I noticed this newer establishment named Miami Club:

Here is a view looking further down the main path that runs through the ville:

As I continued to walk through the ville I saw the Top Club with a karaoke place right next to it:

Here is a club that has been around for awhile, Cowboys:

The Yolo Club is an establishment that seems fairly new in the ville. I did think it was clever of them to have a cash machine right at the entrance of their club:

Down a side street from the Yolo Club is the Spot Club:

Here is a restaurant named the Mommy Store:

Here is a view looking up the street towards the Mommny Store and Club Miami:

I also walked by a Board Game Cafe:

The ville still has plenty of custom tailor shops that I saw as I walked around:

The Star Custom Tailor is one that has been around a long time:

The ville also had plenty of places to get your favorite sports jerseys made:

There is of course a pawn shop for Soldiers to sell off there goods to in exchange for cash to give to girls in the ville:

Here is another newer club the Super Moon:

Here is the New York Club and the DD214 Club:

Here is a wider angle view of the intersection where the New York Club, the New World Club, and Miami Club can all be seen:

Here is a street view of the Loto Club and the Pentagon Bar:

Here is a closer look at the Loto Club:

Here is a closer look at the Pentagon Bar:

I next saw what is probably the oldest club in the entire ville, Club Rendezvous. The Rendezvous had actually been renovated since the last time I had saw it:

According to a sign near its entrance the Rendezvous has been open since 1970. That is a very impressive 55 years of operations in the ville:

The Rendezvous used to be the club I used to hang out at frequently when I was stationed at Camp Casey way back in the day. Then the club was operated by a local gangster named Mr. Han. Here is a story I previously shared about Mr. Han:

Ville Memories: The Rendezvous Club

Here is the Hurricane Club which is right next to the Rendezvous:

Next was the Players Club and the Bridge Club:

In a side alley I saw the Beat Club:

This location used to be where a popular latin club called the Pan Korea used to be at:

Some more clubs I saw was the Seoul Club:

There was also the Crown Club that is one that has been in operation for quite some time:

The Silver Star Club is another one that has been around for decades:

The Las Vegas Club likewise has been around for decades:

Same with the Sky Club:

Further down the street I then saw the Sclub Club. I have no idea what a Sclub is:

I next saw a colorfully painted Popeye Sandwich shop:

Here is the Ace Tattoo, the Link Up Lounge, and Camp One:

As I looked down the street I could see on the right all the food stands that have been added in the ville over the past few years:

This area is where an ajumma used to sell chicken on a stick from a little shack at back in the day. I used to get chicken there all the time until I found out where she got the sticks from:

Ville Memories: Why I Don't Eat Chicken On A Stick

Further down the street I saw a mink blacket store. Getting a mink blanket in Korea seems like a right of passage for GIs to get.

Next I saw the Ace Club:

Then I saw the Empire Club which is another one of the clubs that has been in operations for many decades:

I then came to the area where a large stage has been installed in recent years in a courtyard park:

Near this park is the Sun Club, which used to be located in a different area of the ville, but has apparently relocated in recent years:

The building housing the Sky Club had some pretty impressive grafitti:

Here are some more businesses located adjacent to the park:

Here is a panorama I took of the park:

Here is a closer look at the Wing 212 business:

I then walked into a side alley from the park where I saw the Poory Chop Store. Above this building is where the infamous 1992 murder of the Korean female Kum-I Yun by USFK servicemember Kenneth Markle happened:

Just down the alley from the Poory Chop Store I could see Club Peace:

Here is a closer look at Club Peace which is also one of the older clubs in the ville:

Some other clubs in the alley were the Olive Club and D Club:

There was also the Phoenix Club which has been around for a while:

Here is a look at a few other business located in this alley before it exits where Camp Mobile is located:

Here is a sign at the end of the alley promoting Camp Bosan and the Do Dream Music Center:

Across the street I could see Camp Mobile which back in the day was called the Turtle Farm. This is because the CIF used to be located there and Soldiers had to carry all their gear on their back to Camp Casey looking like a bunch of green turtles:

I then walked over to MSR-3 that passes through Dongducheon and right by Camp Casey. It is where many more businesses are located:

While walking along this section of the ville I spotted a coin and trophy shop:

I also walked by the first vape shop I saw in the ville:

Here are a waffle and kebab restaurants:

I then walked across a crosswalk then began walking towards Camp Casey’s Gate #1:

Here is the view looking back across the street:

Here is a picture of more businesses along MSR-3:

There was also more restaurants and a massage parlor that could be seen:

I also spotted a barber shop:

Here is the last few businesses I spotted before reaching Gate #1 at Camp Casey:

Overall though I am kind of surprised how many clubs and businesses are holding on in the TDC Ville. There has been a large reduction of Soldiers on Camp Casey and the adjacent Camp Hovey to just 4,000 personnel due to the relocation of the 2nd Infantry Division to Camp Humphreys. To make matters even more challenging for the business owners is that the subway station makes it much easier for the Soldiers to go to Seoul which means they spend less money in the ville as well.

Because of the change in the business environment it is very clear that much effort over the past decade plus has been put into cleaning up the TDC Ville. It does look better than I remember it, but the place is still old and rundown. An analogy I like to use is that you can put make up on Songtan Sally, but it is still Songtan Sally.

It really should be systematically torn down and redeveloped, but instead of redevelopment, the city of Dongducheon is leaning in to promoting the ville as a “retro” area in Korea. I don’t think this appeal is going get Korean tourists to visit a rundown neighborhood catering to U.S. Soldiers. Regardless a visit to the TDC Ville was a nice trip down memory lane to see how much has and has not changed in Dongducheon. However, whenever this place is enevitablly torn down one day to be redeveloped, I don’t think I will really miss it.

Note: If you have stories to share about any of the clubs listed in this posting feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below.