Shinjang Mall Bars (2005) (Pyeongtaek Times)

Opinion on USFK Human Trafficking Campaign SEE American Off-base Bar Culture: Opinion on Human Trafficking Campaign .

(L) Shinjang Mall (2005) (Unk) (R) Shinjang Mall Near Yonchon Hotel (2005) (Unk) (NOTE: Money Changer not in operation in 2007 and only selling phones: Pretty Nails still in operation; Boom Art went "boom.")

Overpass Bridge (2005) (Unk) (R) VIP Fried Food Stand (2005) (Unk)

Shinjang Mall Pavement Plaque

2005

January 2005

March 2005

Allegations of Town Patrol Shaking Down Songtan Bar Owners (Mar 2005 - Sep 2005) SEE American Off-base Bar Culture: Allegations of Town Patrol Shaking Down Songtan Bar Owners .

1992 "Standards and Guides" Document (Yonhap News)

Controversy Rises Over US Military Jurisdiction on Local Bar District

By Lee Jin-woo Staff Reporter

A document shows more than 700 Korean shopkeepers near a U.S. airbase in Pyongtaek, southern Kyonggi Province, has been under the control of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) since April 1992, causing a recent power abuse by U.S. airmen in the bar district.

The 28-page document named ``Standards And Guides for Off-Base Establishments'' was signed between then Songtan Mayor Kwon Ho-jang and then USAF Commander Colonel John M. Speigel in April 1992. Songtan city was merged to Pyongtaek in 1995.

The booklet calls for the transfer of enforcement regulations on the entertainment spots and shops near the Osan Air Base to the U.S. Security Forces, which performs a similar role to U.S. airmen as the U.S. Military Police does to its soldiers.

``Each establishment, where applicable, will maintain minimum safety, fire prevention, medical and public order standards established by the Installation Commander,'' the booklet reads. ``Violations of these general policies or any of the following requirements may result in an establishment being temporarily or permanently placed off-limits to U.S. forces personnel by the Commander, 51st Support Group.''

The booklet also regulates operation hours of stores in the district were set by the commander of the USAF.

When each store hires a female employee, the shop owner was required to submit pictures and personal information of the employee to the airbase authorities while updating pictures with new ones every year.

Due to the regulation, related USAF inspectors, members of the Songtan Town Patrol division of the 51st Security Forces Squadron, were able to shut down stores for violating certain conditions specified in the guide book by placing ``off-limits''.

``Although we've requested to General Leon J. LaPorte, commander of the USFK, to abolish the regulations, he emphasized the need to regulate U.S. military personnel with their own measures and showed no willingness to transfer the authority to us,'' Pyongtaek city spokesman Kim Yong-rae told The Korea Times.

Earlier this week, first lieutenant Jason D. Davis, a member of the Town Patrol, was arrested on several charges, which include raping a Korean female owner of a bar, bribery involving shopkeepers and the human-trafficking of South East Asian women at clubs in the bar district.

Davis is being held in confinement at Camp Humphreys in Pyongtaek awaiting charges, the USFK said.

The USAF of special investigations (OSI) also launched investigations into nine other members of the Town Patrol.

Meanwhile, the Pyongtaek People's Solidarity for Participation and Autonomy and several other civic groups hold a rally on March 29, calling for the USAF to transfer Davis to the South Korean prosecution and denouncing the previous power abuses of the American military personnel in the area.

April 2005

November 2005

Gen LaPorte and MND Yoon Kwang-Ung Sign Yongsan Agreement (26 Oct 2004)

PYEONGTAEK AREA EVENTS

NOTE: That the search reminds one of the attitudes of the Pyeongtaek City authorities to relocate the military AWAY from their city -- isolate the American military to the Songtan area with its Special Tourism Zone. However, after the March 2005 announcement there has not been much else heard of this project as there is growing protest over the relocation to Pyeongtaek (Camp Humphreys) from NGO groups. The review of potential sites is to be completed in Feb 2006. If the "Peace City" project does land in Songtan, it would be a major boost to the local economy.

Korean developers planning ahead to keep pace with expanding Humphreys

Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, March 7, 2005

PYONGTAEK, South Korea — Korean developers and civic leaders are fleshing out plans on how to ensure this relatively rural city keeps pace with an expanded U.S. military hub at nearby Camp Humphreys.

Last week, city officials kicked off the early development phases of "Peace City," a massive complex that will eventually include schools for foreigners, hospitals, entertainment centers and administrative buildings.

Between now and next February, agents from the Korea Land Corporation will scout locations in the region and try to sell the public on building a development largely aimed at providing services for the thousands of U.S. troops expected to move into the area.

Under deals reached between the U.S. and South Korean governments, American military bases will be consolidated into two hubs — one in Pyongtaek, the other further south in the Taegu area.

Korea Land Corporation officials hope to have sites identified by October, with work beginning shortly thereafter.

The construction would require massive environmental oversight and a revamping of the city's traffic system, to support the likely increase in traffic both from an expanded U.S. base and a larger neighboring city.

KLC has not yet put a price tag on the project, but it is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The group faces opposition from some civic groups and local residents, who are fighting the expansion of the base. Some of the groups simply don't want to move from their land — even though they will be compensated by the South Korean government — while others are politically opposed to the U.S. troop presence.

Even though it must still address the opposition's concerns, Pyongtaek City is "promoting the plan so that the announcement of the new city can be made no later than the end of this year," a city official said.

The sites under heaviest consideration are near Songtan, officials said, where a shopping and entertainment district geared toward American servicemembers already exists.

SITE NOTE: An interesting item for construction for the move to Camp Humphreys is Stars and Stripes on 6 Nov 05. The USFK signed a 'build-to-lease' deal for dorm at K-16 (Kimpo IAP) that will be the program used for Camp Humphreys. According to the article, "Under the agreement, the private South Korean contractors will build a 144-unit dormitory for unaccompanied officers at K-16, a small base in Seoul. ... Upon completion, USFK will occupy the facility on a 15-year lease. This is a very cost-effective way of getting us a building, getting our people housed and on base much faster than taking a more traditional approach." Officials estimate leasing costs about 35 percent less than building the dormitory themselves. The company has 20 months to complete the building but a groundbreaking date hasn't been set. The project is called a "milestone," and officials plan to contract for another 1,500 to 1,800 Camp Humphreys housing units in the coming years. The build-to-lease concept was new to South Korean companies, and the industry is not used to this sort of procurement. Key is that build-to-lease helps stretch budgetary dollars. He estimated the military will save about $1.7 million a year by using the program at K-16, based on the amount it pays now to house the officers off base. Build-to-lease means no big upfront payments, an overall reduction in cost and the convenience of having the officers on base.

Jokingly...we wonder if the new houses/villas built in the Anjung-ni area specifically for the anticipated influx of military falls within this "build-to-lease" concept. Do a websearch to find out about the area...)

Protests in the Pyongtaek Area (Mar 2005 - Dec 2005)

5 March Though not publicized in the Stars and Stripes or Korean newspapers, a small protest was held by the Unification NGO groups in support of the farmers who are being forced off their lands on 5 March. The protest was held at Pyongtaek's Camp Humphreys along the fenceline -- away from the main gate area. This was the first of the protests as the weather was getting warmer.

The signs were all in Korean following the recent strategy of the NGO groups to NOT give the foreign press a reason to pick up on the protest. However, there was one flag in the group that read, "Yankee Go Home." The other signs read, "Go Away! American Soldiers Go Home!" Most of the signs basically read that "Korea is OUR land -- not America's. American soldiers Go Home." The protest was basically peaceful though there was the obligatory ripping to shreds of the simulated American flag. The group was dispersed by the riot police after the protestors started fires in the dry grass all along the fence line. (NOTE: This is done this time of year throughout Korea to clear away the dried brush so this is not a big deal -- though in downtown Seoul the setting of a fire falls under the "arson" code violation.)

Incidentally, in Songtan, the banner (in hangul) still is on the fence at the bus stop in front of the Study Hall Bookstore and Chonchul English Academy telling the American soldiers at Camp Humphreys and Osan AB to "Go Home" and stating that "Korea is OUR land."

(OPINION: BUT NOTICE THAT THEY SAY "YANKEE GO HOME" IN HANGUL (KOREAN) SO THE AMERICANS WON'T BE OFFENDED. HOW POLITE. Sarcasm showing.)

Yongsan Protest (29 May 05) (Reuters)

Camp Humphreys Protest: (L) Priests mass (R) Rev Mun receiving eucharist in front of riot police (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)

In addition, it appears that the Hanchongryon, the radical student group centered in Seoul, joined in the protests to add "muscle" to the demonstrations. The pulling down of the fence at Camp Humphreys has the symbolism that unified action can defeat the Americans and destroy their base. What is significant of this protest is the violence level that the student radicals used. Look closely at the photos and one can see they were using metal pipes and instead of just bamboo poles (used for the flags) -- some have smashed the ends to make razor sharp blades.

Camp Humphreys Protest: Attacking riot police and tearing down fence. Protesters who yanked on nylon ropes, rushed through the breach, and tied yellow steamers to an interior fence, then exited the base. (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)

Camp Humphreys Protest: Attacking riot police (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)

They attacked the riot police lines along the fence first at the gate area where they pulled down the fence and then attacked from the rice fields. At the first location, approximately five demonstrators entered the perimeter and tied yellow streamers onto a secondary fence … and then exited the perimeter. At the second location, they did not enter the base. Throwing mud and rice clods at the police, footing was not easy because of the torrential rains that had fallen. There were casualties on both sides in the clash between riot police and student radicals. Some 60 police officers were injured and three protesters arrested. Though bleeding protestors were observed being helped away, the exact number of protestors injured is unknown.

Camp Humphreys Protest: From Rice Field (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)

The rallies were typical anti-American varieties that accused the US of "stealing" Korean land and of President Roh being forced to "pay" the Americans for the move. The images focus on the plight of the poor elderly farmer losing their farms for the greedy expansion of the Americans. The typical anti-American slogans (written in hangul to keep the foreign press in the dark) were present but not prominent. Gone were the "Yankee Go Home" signs of the last demonstration. The rally included the traditional ripping of the symbolic American flag. They probably would have burned the flag for a more theatrical effect, but the torrential rains made this an impossibility.

Camp Humphreys Protest: Rally (10 Jul 05) (Tongil News)

The following is the Stars and Stripes story on 13 Jul 2005.

S. Korean police injured, fence destroyed in Humphreys protest

Three protesters arrested in melee; no servicemembers hurt
By Franklin Fisher, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, July 13, 2005

PYONGTAEK, South Korea — Five South Korean police officers remained hospitalized Monday after fierce clashes outside Camp Humphreys on Sunday with protesters opposed to the planned expansion of the base, police said.

Work crews on Monday reinstalled long sections of Camp Humphreys perimeter fence torn down by protesters who yanked on nylon ropes, rushed through the breach, and tied yellow steamers to an interior fence, then exited the base. Protesters also threw steel pipes and rocks at police, and as many as 60 officers were reported injured.

At one point, the violence grew so intense Korean National Police officers positioned inside the fence decided to cut it open so they could dash through and pull several injured officers to safety, said Harry M. Parent, Camp Humphreys' director of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.

"There is no gate in close proximity, so that is their best course of action," Parent said.

Camp Humphreys is a U.S. Army helicopter base in Pyongtaek that is slated to triple in size by 2008 under an agreement between the United States and South Korea.

The U.S. military's plan to turn Camp Humphreys into its premier installation in South Korea calls for the 1,230-acre base to expand to 3,558 acres and increase the number of those living or working at the base to 45,000. U.S. forces in and north of Seoul would relocate to Camp Humphreys under the agreement. But a key next step in the plan is the South Korean government's purchase of thousands of acres outside Camp Humphreys to create space for the expansion.

Many Pyongtaek area officials and business leaders have said they welcome the plan, which is expected to entail a major boom for the region's real estate, construction and retail sectors and spur growth in its transportation system.

But among groups opposing the move are those who contend the Camp Humphreys expansion will displace landowners, farmers and other residents.

"The reason the United States government is here is to protect and defend our country — but they're taking our homes, they're taking our land," Kim Yong-han, leader of the Task Force To Oppose The Expansion of U.S. Bases in Pyongtaek, said Monday. Kim said he expects another protest over the issue in October or November.

U.S. Forces Korea officials on Monday declined to comment on the protesters' objections to the planned Camp Humphreys expansion.

Kim Ki-ho, president of the Anjung-ri Merchants' Association, said Monday that local merchants support the Camp Humphreys expansion because it will spawn major economic development in the area. The association represents nearly 300 local businesses in Anjung-ri, the section of Pyongtaek in which the base is located. "If they move … a lot of soldiers and civilians and families [here], this place [will see] more development … Better than now," he said.

His and other local business groups will hold counterdemonstrations if the protesters stage further rallies in the Camp Humphreys area, Kim said.

The violence erupted Sunday afternoon after around 7,000 demonstrators converged outside the installation and faced off with 10,000 KNP officers in riot gear. The demonstration had been planned months in advance and both South Korean authorities and Camp Humphreys officials were expecting it, officials said.

There were no injuries to U.S. servicemembers during the protest, said Susan Barkley, a Camp Humphreys spokeswoman.

Three protesters were arrested and charged with assaults on KNP officers, but they were released pending further investigation, authorities said.

Some demonstrators were seen bleeding during the clashes, but there was no immediate word Monday on how many may have been injured.

Demonstrators breached the perimeter fence in two places Sunday, Parent said.

"At the first location, demonstrators did not enter the perimeter," Parent said. "At the second location, approximately five demonstrators entered the perimeter and tied yellow streamers onto a secondary fence … and then exited the perimeter.

"Both sections of fence were immediately repaired by our [Department of Public Works] as soon as the demonstrators were cleared from that area by Korean National Police," he said.

August 9 According to the Joongang Ilbo and Stars and Stripes on 10 Aug 2005, about 1,100 South Korean university students and residents held a "mostly peaceful" demonstration outside Camp Humphreys on 9 Aug calling for U.S. forces to leave the country. They also protested a U.S.-South Korea government plan that would see Camp Humphreys triple in size in coming years and become the main base for most U.S. troops in South Korea. One police officer and nine protesters were injured in a 10-minute scuffle. The injured were taken to a local hospital. The demonstrators, chanting and clapping, formed a long line outside the base's northwest perimeter fence and shouted anti-American slogans. Meanwhile, police issued arrest warrants for activist group leaders in connection with the July 10 protest. Police identified one of the men as the Rev. Moon Jung-hyun of the Pan National Solution Committee Against Expansion of Pyongtaek U.S. Troops. Police said they are also seeking Kim Ji-tae.




Camp Humphrey Protest (8 Aug 2005) (Tongil News)

Notice that the protestors are in the blue colors of the Unification NGO group. The last demonstration was a mix, but Rev. Moon Jung-hyun leads the Anti-War NGO group (red shirts) and was joined by the radical members of the outlawed college student union group. (9 Aug 2005) (Tongil News)

At the same time, the Pan National Solution Committee Against Expansion of U.S. Troops in Pyongtaek Area will protest Sept. 3, Oct. 20-23 and Dec. 11. The Sept. 3 gathering was a candlelight vigil at Pyongtaek train station. The protest was non-violent and mostly elderly farmers. From Oct. 20 to 23, group members will harvest the rice paddies outside Camp Humphreys and stage a protest with an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 people. And on Dec. 11, the group plans to gather up to 20,000 protesters from across the nation.

October 16 Small peaceful protest by farmers holding a candlelight vigil outside the Camp Humphreys' fence. (Source: "Eradication of USFK Crime" )

October 20 - 23 The 20 Oct protest at Pyeongtaek City Hall was small and faced off against the City "Meter Maids" (Pyeongtaek Rent-a-cops). The theme was "Abolish Aggressive War Plans against North Korea" and "NO Land Grab at Pyongtaek" -- a mixing of the anti-war NGO group and the farmer group. This was a prelude to Sec of Defense Rumsfeld's visit for Minister level talks about the US shifting to being a "partner" -- but not a "patron." The 21 Oct protest was by a small group of familiar old protest leaders in Seoul that combined the "No Land Grab" and "Anti-Oplan 5027/5029" with "No Strategic Flexibility." This was aimed at the SCM going on -- and this anti-war protest was also held at Yongsan. There were no protests reported on 22 - 23 Oct. Protests to culminated on 23 Oct hampered by fall rains and chilly weather -- as Korean protestors are normally a "fair-weather" group.


Pyeongtaek City Hall Protest (20 Oct 2005) (Tongil News)

October 29 On 29 Oct 2005, a small protest by the farmers was held at Pyeongtaek Station -- to gain public attention. Rev. Mun Chon-Hyun again joined the protestors, but the radical student element was missing as cold weather was setting in. Later the protest then took the form of a candlelight vigil.


Pyeongtaek Station Protest (29 Oct 2005) (Tongil News)

November 17 Though the weather was turning cold, a small group of protestors led by Rev. Mun Chon-Hyun went to Pusan to protest George Bush and denouncing the USFK "Land Grab" and "USFK strategic flexibility." The small group march starting from the train station was blocked by riot police. Due to the Pusan government ban on protests threatened by farmers over the rice opening, anti-war groups, and the KTU education unions, the march went relatively unnoticed. The march was peaceful. However, these protestors then melded into the larger rally held on Nov 18 where 15,000 students, farmers and workers maintained an intense stand-off near three bridges on route to the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in which the first summit meeting of top leaders of the 21 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members economies was held, chanting slogans denouncing the Korean government’s efforts towards trade liberalization and greater agriculture imports. More than 20 people -- half of them police -- were injured during the confrontation, with some protestors wielding rocks and steel pipes and the police responding with barricades and water cannons. "No to globalization, no to Bush," the protesters shouted as they tried to break through barricades set up by police by piling shipping containers across a road leading to the summit venue. Authorities had deployed about 50,000 police and security forces to cope with the protests in Busan. A much smaller conservative rally, led by the Free Citizens’ Alliance of Korea, was held to urge the government to get actively involved in the human rights situation in North Korea and criticize the anti-APEC rally with signs of "Welcome APEC/We Love Bush."





Pusan Protest (17 Nov 2005) (Tongil News)

Dec 10-11 The first snows fell on Songtan on 4 Dec and the temperatures dropped to below freezing for the week. It appeared that the protests were over for the winter and would pick up next spring. Koreans are normally fair weather protestors. We were wrong!!! The Stars and Stripes reported that the NGO groups are going to attempt to hold a rally at the Pyeongtaek Train Station on 10 Dec and hoped to draw between 10,000-30,000 people to protest. However, Pyeongtaek police officials said the NGO group said about 3,000 protesters would attend according to the report registered with police. The protest ended up drawing only between 3,000-5,000 protestors. The protestors marched from the train station to Pyeongtaek City Hall to voice their complaints. The rally started at the train station followed by a "Peace march" to the city hall, then a "closing demonstration" that turned into a candlelight vigil. The protest was peaceful.

Though the Pan-Korean National Task Force Against Expansion of U.S. Bases in Pyeongtaek, said the group's plans for 11 Dec did NOT include a rally at Camp Humphreys itself, Camp Humphreys personnel were told that the Pyeongtak train station was off-limits. The NGO groups want the USFK to leave South Korea and opposes the plan to transform Camp Humphreys into its main installation in South Korea by 2008. The post would triple in size. The task force opposes the expansion because it will require the South Korean government to displace farmers who work the rice fields outside the post.


Pyeongtaek Protest (11 Dec 2005) (Tongil News)

Meanwhile, the Korean Veterans' Association told officials at Osan Air Base that it would hold a pro-American counterdemonstration outside Osan AB. On 11 Dec veterans groups with about 4,000 people assembled in front of the Osan AB main gates to show their support. The groups were bused in and ambulances were used to provide local transportation. Most of the veterans appeared to be in their 60-70s with a lesser amount of 50-something persons mixed in. As a typical rally it had its mandatory speech making -- K.C. Lee of the Songtan Chamber of Commerce and veteran leaders -- with the mandatory comments pleading with the US to not leave Korea and to believe that the majority of Koreans really wanted the US to stay -- though the surveys say otherwise. Riot police were out in force in case of a confrontation, but the rally was peaceful -- though it created a traffic jam for hours in the front gate. Though the rally finished at about 3:30 pm, the area was not passable until well after 6 pm -- and riot police buses were still seen along Route 1 to Pyeongtaek after 7 pm perhaps as a preventive measure in case the anti-US demonstrators decided to come to Osan.


Pro-US Rally Osan AB Main Gate (11 Dec 2005) (Stars and Stripes)

According to the Stars and Stripes on 13 Dec 2005, "In a show of support for the U.S. military Sunday, the Korean Veterans Association and Songtan Chamber of Commerce held a rally that drew a crowd police estimated at about 4,000 outside the main gate of Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek? Songtan section.The veterans urged support for the U.S. military's presence on the peninsula and its planned relocation of forces to Humphreys. They also denounced the anti-American activist movement in South Korea, which they said imperiled their country's security. More than 700 KNP officers were positioned outside the air base during the veterans' rally, which began at 2 p.m. and ended around 3:30 p.m. Most of the demonstrators were men and women who appeared to be in their 50s, 60s and 70s, though some looked in their 40s and 30s. ...10 demonstrators set fire to a North Korean flag, but KNP officers extinguished the fire and dispersed the group after a brief shoving match."

---

June 2005

Personal Note: Fishing in the Osan AB Area (June 2005) In the Kunsan area where we lived for over a decade, we would always go to the beach or mountains to picnic. I used to love to sit in streams and read a book with minnows swimming around my toes. However, in the Osan area, there's a different lifestyle. Thus I figured that I would take up fishing.

Not knowing a thing about fishing, my cocker-spaniel, Shelly, and I started walking the streets looking for a shop to buy a rod and reel to fish. We lucked out when we ran across the Songtan Fishing Plaza (Songtan Naksipulacha) run by Mr. Han Sang-woog (Phone (031)-668-5156 / HP: 011-686-5158). We were extremely fortunate in that he speaks English and was able to explain how to fish in the local area and recommended inexpensive fishing gear for the beginners like us. I ended up buying both an inexpensive spin-casting rig and a Korean-style shore fishing setup. I was surprised how modest the cost was -- but again I wasn't getting top-of-the-line stuff. (My brother-in-law has extremely expensive bamboo rigs that only experienced fisherman buy.) We have gone back to Mr. Han's store many times to buy live bait (worms) and seek advice on fishing -- and he has always been helpful in giving us fishing tips or advice. We highly recommend his store to Americans at Osan AB wanting to try their hand at fishing. To get to his shop from base, turn left at the Express Bus Terminal and go straight until you are almost where it joins diagonally to the road leading to Rte 1. His shop is on the left. Unfortunately, the sign on his shop is in Korean (hangul) and has another company's signboard (BANAX) over his door. It would be best to call him if you are near his shop so you can find it. Again he can speak English so he can direct you there.

There's another shop in the Shinjang 2-dong area. Go straight to the end of the overpass and turn right on Taegwang School Road. Walk down about a block and it's a small shop on the left that has been there since 1992. Though the owner doesn't speak English, his supplies for salt-water fishing are better than the other shop. Really a friendly chap who got me a cup of coffee even though I only spent 2,000 won for weighted hooks and a spinner. If you're going fishing from a boat, he has supplies for this market. There's also another shop up on the right as you go up Milwal Road to the Capital Hotel. Never stopped in, but I would assume that English would be spoken there.

If you don't know a darn thing about fishing like me, I highly recommend a visit to Anglerstown for tips and advice from folks who fish in the Osan AB area. It's nice to have someone with specific advice on the area. Go to Anglerstown: Kyonggi-do for locations for fishing in the Kyonggi-do area.

There are lots of bass and carp in the immediate area but this uses spin-casting rigs and a bit of experience. I haven't caught any bass because I'm a greenhorn at fishing -- but still it's fun to get outdoors in the muggy summer months. The places to fish are limitless. Using the Korean-style bottom-fishing rigs there are the streams everywhere -- but my brother-in-law says that at these places one shouldn't eat the fish because of pollution in the area (dairy farm waste and chemical fertilizers). Near the base, there is the Hwangkuji stream (Hwangkujicheon) running from Osan-ni down to the Jinwi River (Jinwicheon) but you need waders because of the mud on the banks. The fisherman congregate where the water flows under concrete stream-fording points. Nice spots to picnic in the evening -- and construction workers congregate under the bridges after work to drink and eat. (In 2005, they were in the process of building a stream-side park in the Osan City area.) Down toward Anjung where the Rte 340-bypass to Anjung joins Rte 38, Korean fisherman line the shores of the Jinwi River. Also there are many stocked ponds in the area. The Pyeongtaek Lake offers a lot of fishing for carp, but being a rank amateur I haven't even dared try my hand at that.

There's a large reservoir (I-dong Jeosuji) that is only 20 minutes from Osan AB. Catching tiny Crappie/Blue Gill-size fish is really fun -- though the "keepers" in Korea are so tiny that Americans laugh at them. Quantity -- not quality is the rule here. The only thing these fish are good for is making a super-bony Korean fish soup -- which I don't eat. Sometimes foreign workers come by and ask if they can have the catch -- and we tell them to help themselves. To me the relaxation is not in catching fish, but in sitting on the shore of a peaceful lake -- and I often let the fish that are only hooked in the mouth go. Even if you don't catch anything, it's a nice place to have a picnic on the shore -- and there are paddle-boats down at the end near the levee if you're doing touristy stuff.


(L) Kalani with "prize" 2-inch catch. (R) Boram fishing with Korean-style rod.

At the I-dong Reservoir in Yong-in up Rte 314, a fishing "license" costs 5,000 won a day for men, but women are free. It's collected by a man who comes by periodically and the fee helps defray the cost of cleaning up the mess left by picnics on the weekends. On my first outing with my nephew, we caught nothing though everyone else around us was. My wife -- who only sleeps in the shade -- had a good time derisively laughing at us "fishermen." (Later I found that it was because we weren't bottom-fishing and using a bobber-set up with spinning reels.) But on our second outing we started to catch fish using the Korean bottom-fishing setup. My daughter caught her first fish using this Korean-fishing setup and even learned how to put worms on the hook -- though her method of using foreceps makes a mess of the worms. Still learning and I'm coming to appreciate the Korean setup for fishing from the lake shore or river side.

NOTE: In Oct 2005, Frank Schierer dropped a line and attached a few photos of what a REAL fisherman can accomplish at the I-dong Reservoir. He wrote: "I was reading your site today and came across a section where you talk about fishing at I-dong reservoir. I love that lake; as a matter of fact it’s one of my favorite lakes to fish for bass and bluegill. You say you only caught very small bluegill out of there, attached are some pics of what you can catch out of that lake – but the trick is finding the right time and the right place."




What a real fisherman can do at I-dong Reservoir (18 Jun 2005)