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This page is graphically intense with long load times due to photos. However, the photos and narratives by the men who served at Osan Air Base makes the wait well worthwhile. The opinions expressed are those of the author and in no way represents any official statement of Osan AB or the USAF. 
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Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Jack Terwiel , Capt, USAF (Ret) of the Osan Retired Activities Office for photos of base (past and present) -- Dan Klopten , Ron Freedman , Harry Tezlaf and Ken Shallenbarger . Special thanks to Jackie Turner , 7th AF Historian, and John Okonski , 51st FW Historian, for their assistance with photos and guidance on the history of Osan AB. Thanks to Curly Knepp , Maj, USAF (Ret) for his photos and direction in uncovering the history of the area. Thanks to Bob Spiwak for his narratives and photos of life at Osan AB. Thanks to Patrick McDonald & Wayne Wolf for their 2000 photos of Osan AB. Special thanks to JW Cummings for his informative "reviews" of Songtan bar life, shopping and dining out (restaurants and street vendors) in 2000. Thanks to an Unknown Photographer (edbestworldnetattnet) for photos in 2002. (NOTE: We wish to locate JW Cummings for his narratives and the Unknown Photographer (2002) to credit them properly for their work. Does anyone have information on their whereabouts?) Thanks to the 36th Fiends site for the use of its materials dealing with the 36th TFS. Special thanks to Mr. Oh Sun-soo , Victoria Hotel, for his information on the early development of Songtan. Special thanks to Mr. Jim Price , AIG Insurance, for his sharing of his experiences during his long residence in Songtan. Special thanks to Mr. Yi Kyong Chu , Kasey Lee's Tailors, for his help and guidance in assembling this history. Special thanks to Mr. Son Kwang-chil , Hanyang Kalbi, and Mr. Yi N.K , Korea Hotel, for providing information of the early days of the Milwal-dong area. Thanks to Mr. Kim Sang-do , Electronic Repair Shop, and Mr. Jeong Tae-ho , Young Chon Hotel, for their help in providing information of the early days of the Young Chon Alley area. Thanks to Mr. Kwon Oh-hoon , Dong Sung Realty, for his help on the local area history. Special thanks to Mr. Kim Jae-won , Asia Hotel for his help in providing a wealth of information on the local area. Special thanks to Ms. Jin Dal-lae and other staff members of the Jisan-dong Ward Office for taking the time to research and provide historical materials on Songtan and Pyongtaek City. Thanks to the Shinjang 1-dong Ward Office for taking time to provide information on the roads in the area. Thanks to the Seojong-dong Ward Office staff and Chief of the ward Office, Choi Yun-su , for their help in providing maps to unravel the confusing boundary issues. Much of the information on Pyongtaek City and the Songtan area was extracted from the Pyeongtaek City History, Pyeongtaek Si Sa . Thanks to the Songbuk Elementary School for permission to use their photos from their private collection. Thanks to staff of the Songshin Elementary, Taegwang Middle School and Taegwang High School staff for their help in their histories. Special thanks to the Mr. Kim Jong-youp , Vice-Principal of the Hyomyung Middle School and Ms. Choi Jeong-min for their assistance with the history of Hyomyung Middle School and High School. Special thanks to the Mr. Park Hyun-jong , Vice Principal of the Seojong Elementary School, and the staff including Ms. Choi Yun-young , Mr. Kim Hyong-ill and Ms. Pae Eun-hui , for their assistance in assembling the history of Seojong Elementary School.
1970s View of Osan AB (USAF Photo) SONGTAN EVENTSJanuary 2006Pirated DVDs: Vendor Beware The Korean Intellectual Property Office, stepping up its attacks on counterfeiters, will offer rewards to those who report factories churning out fake goods. The agency said yesterday it would offer a reward of up to 10 million won ($9,920) for reports to agency officials, the police or local prosecutors of persons who produce or sell knockoff handbags, shoes or other products without the permission of the copyright holders. The rewards will be paid on conviction in court. The office said tipsters' identities would be kept confidential.If this step up is true, the life-blood of most embroidery shops will be endangered. The rip-off copies of jackets and other paraphenalia sell for 75 percent what the authorized logos items cost. They are definitely a good deal and to be truthful, most customs into the US do NOT check the items if it is for personal use. It is those individuals who are selling for profit that they go after. The base periodically runs ads on AFN about the dangers of pirated goods and sending them in the military mail. In fact, one airman in 2005 was convicted for shipping the counterfeit sports jerseys through the APO mails for profit. He had been warned to stop this practice when he was discovered before. He continued and was prosecuted. He wasn't nailed for the counterfeits, but for the illegal use of the mail system after being told to stop his illegal sales using the military mail system. However, for personal use, there really isn't a big push to clamp down on counterfeit clothing or DVDs simply because it would be cost prohibitive to launch such a campaign. The point is don't get greedy and start shipping tons of counterfeit goods back to the US -- simply keep it down to personal use items.  Shinjang Mall near Main Gate. The DVD sellers a short distance beyond the toy stall. (Unknown) The lackadaisical enforcement of the law on copyright infringement has gone on for years. We remember when they started the big talk of enforcement in 1990. Nothing has happened since. However, on 9 Feb it was reported that The Korean Intellectual Property Office has paid a 3.3 million won ($3,400) cash reward to a private citizen for reporting two cases of counterfeit luxury goods. It was the first payment since the office announced last month that it would pay such rewards. The recipient, whose name is legally protected, reported two domestic companies that manufacture replicas, including handbags, belts and watches, of brand products that included those by Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada and Rolex. The counterfeiters have been indicted. Rewards have a limit of 10 million won for reporting manufacturers or distributors of fake goods worth over 30 billion won in aggregate. But the office is not making the rewards particularly easy to collect. Those reporting fake goods are expected to follow the progress of the case, and can apply for rewards only after the prosecution issues an indictment or settles a case with a suspended indictment, the latter an out-of-court settlement. An application for the reward can be made only within three months of one of those two actions by prosecutors. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) We have heard reports of a pirated DVD vendor on the Shinjang Mall being hauled off and all his inventory confiscated in the latter part of 2005. It appears that he was reported by his competition -- allegedly a permanent establishment specializing in PlayStation 2 modifications with DVD sales on the side. Don't know the truth of the accusations -- but do know that the other two strip vendors of pirated DVDs were untouched. This appeared to have been a vendetta type sting operation. The vendor allegedly lost all his merchandise and still has to appear in court. We feel sorry that the small time vendors are targeted but the main supply source in Seoul -- suppliers to pirated DVD shops throughout Korea -- is left untouched. Since that time in 2005, this vendor was once again raided and his merchandise confiscated in January 2006. The investigators supposedly had stacked out the vendor's car from a rented hotel room. We feel sorry for the vendor who is deeply in debt over the lost merchandise -- and he is a really nice guy who speaks English and readily tells you if the movie is a bad copy or not. However, he was aware of the risks when he became involved in pirated CD sales. (SITE NOTE: By Aug 2006, he had disappeared from the mall. We assume the debts caused the confiscation of his stock caused him to sell out. He was replaced by another vendor of DVDs.) But we aren't going to push the matter as we like to watch the pirated English DVDs -- and Korean DVDs with English subtitles. At $5 a pop it's cheaper than going to see these movies at the movie theater in Songtan. (NOTE: Took my daughter to a Korean comedy movie downtown in January and spent $20 on tickets, $10 on popcorn and drinks. Thus one can see that these DVDs of the same movies save a lot of money for me. Also at $5 a DVD, I can afford to trash lousy movies -- and there are many -- without feeling I've been ripped off.) From the pirated DVD stands, we got our copies of Director Park Chan Wook's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance", JSA: Joint Security Area, and "Old Boy" -- with English subtitles -- from our buddy down on the Shinjang Mall. We also picked up Kang Je-gyu's Taeguki and Shiri along with Kang Woo-suk's hyped Shilmido. These flicks were released in the states to excellent reviews. However, most of the pirated Korean flicks are a waste of film -- but so are most American flicks as well. For example, "The Art of Fighting" and "Ssunday Seoul" had plots that seemed just plain stupid. Others were popular at the Korean box office like "Welcome to Dongmakgol", Fighter in the Wind, and "The Duelist", but to American tastes one wonders why they even wasted the film. I have about 70 films in my Korean collection and most fall in this category. However, amidst all the losers there are quite a few that are keepers. Even though many movies like "Marathon", My Wife is a Gangster and "Sad Movie" are simple formula flicks, I truly enjoyed them. Anyway, the next time you're looking over the pirated American flicks at Shinjang Mall, check out the pirated Korean flicks as well.  Emart February 2006Heavy Snowfall (Feb 2006) After a week for freezing temperatures, this started to warm up and it started to look like spring was around the corner -- with 4 Feb being the first day of spring on the lunar calendar. Then a cold front from the north brought precipitation and cold temperatures. On 7 Feb heavy snowfall blanketed most of South Korea with weather advisories issued for Seoul as well as Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Gyeongsang province regions. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) issued heavy snow warnings for Seoul and Gyeonggi Province around 6 a.m. as an average of over 2 centimeters of snow fell in the area. Roughly 4,000 government workers were trying to clear the snow from roads and directing traffic, the KMA said. It estimated that up to 7 more centimeters of snow was expected during the day in the central part of the country. Snowfall in Songtan: Kids playing and shoveling the sidewalk (7 Feb 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Police said most of the main thoroughfares are open but there is limited traffic on some remote roads. Some roads have been closed in mountainous Gangwon Province with over 4 centimeters of snow reported in certain areas. Snow advisories were also in effect for Daegu and certain parts of North Gyeongsang Province, and heavy snow had been falling for two straight days in South Gyeongsang Province. In Songtan, the snow was about only 6 inches deep in the parking lots. The barren trees looked beautiful with a buildup of snow on the limbs. As soon as the snow stopped, the kids were out building snowmen and having snowball fights. The traffic along Route 1 to Pyeongtaek was not impacted as the snow melted by mid-day on the roadways. However, the streets on the hills surrounding Osan AB were becoming slick forcing taxis to take the long way around to get to the base. By mid-day, the snow was starting to melt off and the streets had turned into a dirty brown slush pit.  Snowfall in Songtan: Kids making a snowman (7 Feb 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) March 2006Cold Snap and Yellow Dust (Mar 2006) Just as the weather was warming up and the farmers were getting ready to start rice planting, a cold snap hit on 11 Mar. The cold air from inner parts of Asia dropped temperatures to below zero during the night. This cold snap impacted on the on-going farmer protests over rice imports that were starting up as spring arrived. During this one week period, a small amount of snow covered the ground but quickly melted away. Songtan Girls High School view of snow in parking lot. (Mar 2006) (Boram O'Sullivan) South Korea's weather service issued a yellow dust advisory for all of the country on 12 Mar with the exception of Jeju Island and parts of southern Jeolla Province. South Korea is troubled by the yellow dust phenomenon every year from February through April, as dust is picked up from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and carried over to the country by easterly winds. The Korea Metrological Administration (KMA) said the level of minute dust particles in the air had been steadily increasing to 500-700 micrograms per cubic meter. Thus my freshly washed car now sported a new coat of dirt that combined with the morning fog and plastered every vehicle with dirt. The weather service issues yellow dust advisories if the density of minute dust particles exceed 500 micrograms per cubic meter for more than two hour. It upgrades this to "warning" if the density hits 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter and such conditions last in excess of two hours. "Since the level of dust is expected to increase in the afternoon, it is advisable for people to be cautious when engaging in outdoor activities," a weather official said. He said children and senior citizens need to be careful about going out along with people suffering from respiratory ailments. April 2006Yellow Dust (Apr 2006) On the weekend of 8-9 April the yellow dust became so bad that the sun could be seen as a round ball behind the haze and viewed without sunglasses. On 8 Apr, the ROK issued a health warning over the yellow dust problem. Almost all the people in Seoul were wearing surgical masks to filter out the dust. In Songtan it was not so prevalent though most of the ROKAF gate guards were wearing the masks. Every car was covered with a layer of the fine dust as though one had just driven through a long stretch of dusty back roads.On 30 April another yellow dust alert was issued as the dust again hit Korea -- the ninth time for the year. Cars across the country were blanketed with a fine coat of dust and the skies were hazy. According to the Stars and Stripes, those wishing to track the problem could do so on real-time English-language charts on the Web sites for the U.S. Army and 18th MEDCOM at http://www.seoul.amedd.army.mil in cooperation with the Korean Meteorological Agency. By simply clicking on the name of any of the U.S. bases in South Korea, a community member could find the exact dust threat. According to the Stars and Stripes on 10 Apr, "Annual spring dust storms — called “hwangsa” in Korean — carry heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, copper and aluminum, from the Gobi Desert in northern China and southern Mongolia. The one- to 10-micron dust particles can aggravate bronchitis and cause pinkeye, sinusitis and ear infections, according to South Korean and U.S. officials. Recent studies also have shown the dust can cause respiratory problems and high particulate air pollution levels have been linked to higher mortality rates, Lt. Col. Lee Hee-choon, preventative medicine consultant at the 18th Medical Command, said last week. “For humans, it can exacerbate, and now we know that it can even cause respiratory conditions, such as asthma,” he said. “We only thought that it exacerbated an existing condition but recent evidence suggests that it actually causes” the problems. The dust also can cause other diseases, Lee said. “The Foot-and-Mouth Disease that affected some of the cattle here in Korea was also thought to have been carried by the dust particles,” he said. When the dusts spike each year, so do hospital visits and community complaints. In 2005, Area II officials promised residents a better system for informing them when the dust hit dangerous levels. Medical officials said they had the information but needed to find a way to better communicate with the community. “This year we’ve been a little bit more proactive,” Lee said, adding that the medical command’s leadership “wanted to get the word out in a more systematic fashion.” The storms hit each spring, Lee said, blanketing South Korea on an average of 12 days over a few months." (SITE NOTE: Though the self-service car wash is only a block away and costs only a 1000 won, I'm just too lazy to wash my junker. However, some snide Americans in our complex started writing comments on the dust -- so I had to wash it. If not, I would have simply waited for the next showers to clean the car. What is most frustrating is to wash the heap and then have the dust blow in to coat your car. The dust is everywhere. My plants on the veranda had yellow spots on the leaves. After rain showers, in some places, it looked like someone had spilled yellow paint. The "yellow dust" is some nasty stuff.) Shinjang Mall: Back Alley Photos   (L) Near the intersection leading to Main Gate at Shinjang-2 dong (R) Alleyway with Volvo Dealer near the intersection to Main Gate (Mar 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) 
 (L) Jungang Market Road: "Power Shop" site of former Seoul Glass Shop (Jun 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Seoul Glass Shop (1958) (51st FW Archive) (SITE NOTE: The "Seoul Glass Shop" was in the same location from the late 1950s until the 1980s.)  New Mokchon Road Expansion for additional parking (Jun 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: Location of the old Mokchon Railway Crossing and now the pedestrian underpass is located on the site. The area used to be known as "Pink Town" from the strings of red lights on both sides of the tracks. It was also known as "Keoji Chon" (Beggar's village) in the 1970s as it was the poorest section of Songtan.) May 2006Election Time (May 2006) The local elections were around the corner scheduled for 31 Mar. Along Route 1, large banners (3 stories tall) were strung on buildings. Even on the building next to the overpass at Shinjang Mall was one of these tall banners. About the middle of the month, the active campaigning started -- in accordance with the electioneering laws. That's when the trucks with large billboards of the candidates and blaring music started driving around the city through all the apartment complexes.  3-story banners and streamers across the street for political candidates (28 May 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: No one was safe from the "glad handing" as candidates circulated to "meet the people." Because I look Korean, even I got approached. I was sitting at a table in Hanyang Kalbi outside the Main Gate with a mouth full of lettuce and bulgogi when a candidate approached to hand me his cards. Unable to speak all I could do was mumble and point to my mouth and nod to say "I'm sorry." He handed me his campaign card which I accepted looking foolish with a mouth full of food.) The week before the election, the trucks were everywhere and the "volunteers" in blue or red T-shirts with their candidate's name on them were on every street corner. Some of the "volunteers" performed dance skits to attract attention, but most simply bowed as the cars passed by while the mini-truck with posters on the sides blared music. Sometimes the candidates would be seen with a sash with his number on it.   The "volunteers" for political candidates perform dances on street corners or display their candidates number on their backs. Note the trucks in the left photo. (28 May 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Though most Americans could care less about local elections, this is a make-or-break election for the Uri Party and approval of President Roh Moo-hyun's programs and the fate of the ruling party hangs in the balance. To simplify it for the Americans, the GNP represents the conservative -- which is basically Pro-American perspective -- while the Uri Party represents the left-leaning "progressive" side -- which is basically Anti-American in perspective. There is a shift in the wind and the ruling Uri party may face a second crushing defeat. All surveys show that the people are disenchanted with the Roh administration and the ruling Uri Party over economic, domestic, international and North Korean rapprochemente policies. The point is that the Roh administration's "self-reliant defense" strategy -- promulgated by the Uri Party -- has directly impacted every GI serving on the peninsula -- creating uncertainty, frustration and even hostility in the form of protests at Camp Humphreys and outside the Osan AB Main Gate less frequently. This election may break the back of the Uri party that has been the thorn in the side of the USFK for the past three years. Though Americans can only sit back and watch -- it is interesting the games that Koreans play during the electioneering. (SITE NOTE: Though Roh has effectively already become a "lame duck President" -- a defeat in the 31 May elections would send a message that the people no longer support his ruling party or his government's policies. However, the sad thing is that damage Roh and the Uri Party have wrought on Korea's relationships with other countries may be irreparable -- though diplomatically, everyone is all for putting on band aids. Most consider the US-ROK alliance in shambles -- with people like me stating that it is in its death throes.) Polls indicate a shift in the voting stance to a more conservative outlook amongst the populace -- and growing frustration with Roh Moo-hyun's political, diplomatic and fiscal policies. The recession has stretched into its third year. The policy of appeasement to the North is being questioned as nothing is gained in return. The polls indicate that the GNP will garner the majority of positions throughout the country. Early polls show that the Uri Party can only hope to gain two of the 16 National Assembly seats up for grabs -- and one of those in Daejon is a maybe. The Uri Party would lose its majority in the National Assembly and could only hope to strike a deal with the MDP -- which it slapped in the face when it split away from the MDP to form Roh's party. In the months leading up to the elections, major figures of all the parties have faced scandals of kickbacks and corruption. The biggest Uri figure was the Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan who resigned after a "golf scandal" -- not for his playing golf, but the shady characters who he was playing with -- one of whom was to be fined the next day for illegal dealings. Many of the Cabinet ministers resigned to run for local office, but the scandal came that the ones appointed by President Roh were considered unfit or inexperienced. President Roh proceeded anyway to appoint a former official who was convicted for illegal slush fund transfers, but this did not stop Roh. A GNP leader was chastized for "groping" a female reporter's breasts as he mistook her for a bargirl. A MDP party leader was found with a trunk full of cash -- that he claimed he had no idea why it was put there by his "supporters." All parties have faced repeated political scandals. No one's hands are clean. That is what makes this an interesting election. It is not a choice of voting for the right candidates, but not voting for the wrong candidates. This is not a choice of finding good candidates, but not voting for bad candidates. (See Political Events for articles on the political situation in Korea.) On 20 May Park Geun-hye was slashed while campaigning for the party in Seoul by an attacker who had been released from prison and was unable to make a living. Immediately following the attack, the GNP saw its support rating increase to 48 percent from 45.4 percent. Support for the ruling Uri Party decreased from 20 percent to 18.9 percent in the 21 May opinion poll. The Democratic Labor Party went from 10.5 percent to 9.7 percent, and the Millennium Democratic Party from 4.3 percent to 3.8 percent. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) Going into the elections nationwide, GNP candidates enjoyed a healthy support rating in 11 out of a total 16 key contests, while rapidly closing the gap with their Uri counterparts in Daejeon and the southern island province of Jeju. Later polls showed that the GNP had taken the lead over the Uri Party in Daejon and Cheju Island which were previously considered neck-and-neck races. Voters in the central provinces of Chungcheong seemed to be lost after their longtime favorite party, the United Liberal Democrats, fell on hard times and merged with the GNP following the retirement of its charismatic leader, Kim Jong-pil in 2004. Ahead of the May 31 local elections, opinion polls show the number of swing votes in South Chungcheong Province come to between 30 and 65 percent, the largest among the nation's 16 key election battlegrounds and many were swayed by the Park Geun-hye attack. In other words, the "progressive" parties ALL lost support from the voters, while the conservative GNP gained 2.6 percentage points. It looked like a GNP sweep was pending. On 31 May 2006, voters handed the Grand National Party an overwhelming victory in Korea's local elections, confirming the forebodings of doom circulating in President RoC o-hyun's Uri Party. In races for the mayors of seven independent cities and governors of nine provinces, the GNP took 12 of the 16 races, including that for Seoul's mayor and Gyeonggi governor. The Uri Party succeeded in only one race for the governor of North Jeolla province. To add insult to injury, the once powerful Democratic Party (whose dissidents walked out and formed the Uri Party three years ago) won the races for the mayor of Gwangju and the governor of South Jeolla province. In the elections for Daejeon Mayor and Jeju Governor, the contest was so fierce that it was hard to predict a winner until the final vote count. In the end, the GNP prevailed in Daejeon mayor race, while Jeju Governor Kim Tae-hwan was reelected to the post as an independent after severing ties with the GNP. The chairman of the Uri Party resigned accepting responsibility for the humiliating defeat. The GNP cleaned up at the head offices of all 25 district governments in Seoul, as well as win nine of 10 district posts in Incheon. A total of 230 district head offices were available in the local elections, as well as 3,621 seats at regional assemblies throughout the country. The GNP took approximately 70 percent of the lower-level positions nationwide. The GNP victory showed the degree of dissatisfaction with the Uri Party and the Blue House -- rather than an approval of the GNP per se. In essence, the GNP victory is not for what it did, but what it could do to turn around the depressed conditions in Korea. The GNP swept the races in Seoul and Gyeonggi province as well as in its stronghold in Korea's southeast Gyeongsang provinces. None of Mr. Roh's former aides or ministers who resigned to contest local elections appeared to have been successful. Political analysts were unanimous in attributing the results to voters who looked at the races not as individual contests but as a referendum on Mr. Roh's presidency. His national popularity has been mired in the 30-percent range for an extended period. Following the Uri Party defeat, the ruling party leader Chung Dong-young resigned on 1 Jun, taking responsibility for the party's crushing defeat in local elections that the major opposition party won by a landslide. With his resignation, the former Unification's minister's star for a run for the Presidency in 2007 faded. In addition, President Roh will have to distance himself from the Uri Party -- and is now a true "lame duck" President -- a President in name only. The Democratic Labor Party -- even in its center of power in Ulsan -- and People First Party made no inroads in this election. The turnout was estimated at 51.2 percent by the National Election Commission, above its expectations. The party chairman resigned to accept responsiblity. Slightly less than 50 percent of eligible Koreans voted in the local elections four years ago. Weather Forecast: Rainy Season then Hot weather (May 2006) According to the Korea Metrological Administration, this year's rainy season is expected to begin on June 19 following a sultry start to the month. It will continue for about a month until mid July, with more rain than usual expected. The rainy season is coming earlier than normal, influenced by a high-pressure system from the North Pacific Ocean. During the rainy season, precipitation will range from 106 to 279 millimeters per day. Temperatures will also be higher than a usual, averaging 16-23 degrees Celsius. Ahead of the monsoon season, stifling hot days will be smother the peninsula in early June. In July even after the monsoon season eases, further torrential rainfalls are expected in certain regions due to unstable a+tmospheric conditions. However, temporary low temperatures are also forecast along the eastern coast of the peninsula. In August when the hot season begins in earnest, there will be frequent sudden of showers because of continued instability in the atmosphere. During the summer, about 11 typhoons are likely to form in northern Pacific waters as usual, and two or three of them will affect the peninsula. Over at the blog The Lost Nomad, he bewailed that this unseasonal rain forecast spells trouble for his bass fishing as June is normally his best month of fishing. He can only hope the forecast is off. EPILOGUE: The "stifling hot" weather did not appear in early June. It was rather pleasant, though it got a little warm a few days. It was nothing like last year when every fan we had was operating. Then on the weekend of the 10th and 11th of June, there was the most freakish thunderstorm weather we had never seen in Korea before. Thunderstorms rolled into the area one after another -- and long-timers in Songtan said they'd never seen weather like this before. This is going to be a strange summer season. JUNE 2006Movie: "Da Vinci Code" Comes to Songtan On May 18th Ron Howard's "Da Vinci Code" was released in Korea. For the week of May 26-1 June it was number 1 at the box office in Seoul. It was also number 5 on the NY Times Box Office ratings. Throughout the world there had been a lot of hype and controversy over the showing of this film so I wanted to see how controversial the movie really was. It wasn't -- it was a safe and not descript movie without any controversy. It was simply a film.By the way, for all the ballyhoo about the Prior of Scion as a secret society in France was based according to experts on a hoax. A son of a valet with visions of grandeur created an intricate hand-written geneology showing his lineage through Frankish kings. One of these Kings was called the "King of Jews" who traced his lineage to the House of David, Jesus' descendant. The story goes that the geneology was tied together with a list of names supposedly of the Grand Masters of the Prior of Scion with the last name being a noted surrealist. Then the "secret" lists were "found" in the National Archives. A popular book was written "Holy Grail, Holy Blood" which in turn formed the basis for the "Da Vinci Code." The author of the "Holy Grail, Holy Blood" admitted meeting with the two men responsible for the hoax and one admitted that it was a hoax perpetrated by the other. The other laughed and changed the subject. The perpetrator died in 1963. Thus one shouldn't put any store in the book's claims. For example, The Roslin Chapel supposedly derived from the "Rose line" at the Church of St. Sulspice but actually it comes from the Celt language, "ciffs with rushing water." The "Rose line" at the Church of St. Sulpice also comes from a sundial arrangement to plot the time for religious ceremonies -- not the line that sets the prime meridian used on maps. As another by-the-way, art historians cringe when people call Leonardo Da Vinci as simply Da Vinci. "Leonardo" is his name. He was born out of wedlock and recognized through his artistic talent. He is from the town of Vinci. Thus the name "Leonardo" from Vinci. On 3 Jun, it came to the Lotte Cinema, the new multi-theater on Seojong Tourism Road, at the same time it was playing on base at the Base Theater. I wanted to go to base, but my daughter opted for the one downtown because of the Korean subtitles. (My mistake as all the French dialogue had Korean subtitles -- and was saved only because I had read the book so I knew what they were talking about.) The theater was only half-filled with many empty seats on the sides. There was a lot of pre-hype about the movie in Korea (as the marketing strategy for the movie had intended) and the fanatical Christians -- mostly Catholic -- filed a suit to ban the film in Korea. The Seoul Central District Court rejected the application filed by the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) against the film's local distributor, Sony Pictures Releasing Korea, to prevent the film's screening. The staunch Christians probably opted to not see the movie with their kids -- considered a blasphemous movie. However, besides the editorials, there wasn't much of a furor in Korea even though Korea has 13 million Protestants and 4.6 million Roman Catholics. To start off, I must say that I was a bit disappointed -- but no movie can ever match a blockbuster book. A film can never replace the imagination and the mind's pictures created by words. The book had elaborate twists and turns in the plot that had to be "unkinked" for cinematic purposes to keep the action moving. As a movie, Howard had to cut out a lot of the details to keep things flowing -- which really didn't affect the major theme. However, I found it discomforting that the end changed slightly from the book. In the book, the girl Sophie Neveu finds she has a brother and grandmother who had remained hidden from sight at Roslin Chapel to protect them. In the movie, Sophie discovers her grandmother as a sort of throwaway admission, but no brother. Though it seems that Howard toyed with the idea in the shots of the young man who opened the Roslin chapel, it must have ended up on the cutting room floor. Howard also chose to make the Bishop's Opus Dei an accepted part of the Catholic Church -- albeit secret, while the book had Opus Dei as a financially powerful sect that the Church wanted to permanently disassociate itself with and paid Bishop Aringarosa off. Also the "archives" dating back thousands of years at Roslin Chapel to explain the different threads of the plot was not in the book. But these were minor details that did not impact the plot of the movie. The movie was filled with veteran actors -- but I wondered if it would not have been better to use relative unknowns. Tom Hanks did a credible job as Robert Langdon -- but I kept getting flashbacks of his other movies crowding my brain from the 1980s sophomoric "Bachelor Party" to "Castaway" to "Apollo 13" to "Private Ryan" to "Polar Express" (cartoon). Hanks seems to be trying to expand his repetoire to all genres of films -- now trying his hand at murder mysteries. Though he did a fine job of acting, I couldn't help but wondering if a classically-trained Shakespearean actor might not have been better suited in the role of the intellectual professor. French film star Audrey Tautou was nice but forgettable in the role as Sophie Neveu, the code-breaker whiz-kid granddaughter of the slain Louvre curator Jacques Sauniere (Jean-Pierre Marielle). The twists and turns end up that she has been trained from childhood to take over the secret order. In the book, her grandfather desperately attempts to reestablish contact with her through letters and phone calls over the years, but she has refused to reestablish contact. This is not developed in the film -- and boiled down to clips of her running away from Sauniere's mansion. Sadly, in the book there were hints that there was a growing romantic interest between Sophie and Robert Langdon in the book -- and even at the end of the book, there was a hint that the budding relationship would continue as a sequel -- but in the movie there was nada, nothing, zip -- except a sort of a paternal relationship. Classical British actor Ian McKellan was superb and perfectly cast as the Holy Grail-obsessed knight Sir Leigh Teabing. His performance as an eccentric scholar comes across as someone who is having the time of his life explaining the intricacies of the mystery and being embroiled in a "holy cause" -- and then bounces into insane madness at the end with the same flair. A superb actor who is a joy to watch. Some may remember McKellan's stellar performance as Gandaff in "Lord of the Rings" or his being in my opinion miscast -- though popularly acclaimed -- as Magneto in the "X-men" movies. Alfred Molina is a veteran actor I've enjoyed watching on TV and screen for over twenty years with roles running the gamut from dark villans like Cezar in the classic "Ladyhawke" (1985) to the multi-armed pop-Spiderman villian Doctor Octavius (Doc Ock) (2004). He's one of my favorite character actors. Molina plays Bishop Aringarosa. However, he gives only a credible performance as a fanatical cleric who takes matters into his own hands to find and destroy the corpse of Mary Magdalene -- to eliminate any possibility of DNA evidence linking her as the wife of Jesus with present day descendants. However, he doesn't get to really show off his talents except for one scene where his outburst at a meeting of Bishops highlights his fanatical devotion to his cause. Paul Bettany played the albino Opus Dei monk Silas who kills everyone he's ordered to. Unfortunately, Bettany doesn't quite pull it off as a "massive" psycho killer redeemed by the Bishop Aringarosa. Perhaps it is because he is simply not sinister enough. His sophisticated roles in films such as the technical meanie in "Firewall" (2006) or as the cello-playing surgeon-botanist in "Master and Commander" (2003) proved his acting talents, but this role as a self-flagellating, psycho monk walking with a limp from his "cinche" (device to inflict pain) just did not work. Too be truthful, the lame actor Caine of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) fame would have done a better job as the mindless killer monk. The part only needed a mindless gargantuan of a monk who could give kids nightmares -- not a psychoanalytical profile of why the monk killed people. Of course, Jean Reno as Captain Bezu Fache of the French Police is an actor type-cast as the tough guy with a soft heart. I became a fan of his after he starred in "Leon" in 1994 -- and loved the scene in the movie when he pulverized the reluctant airfield controller to get the information he wanted. It was Reno at his best -- cooly brutal. German actor Jürgen Prochnow is the Swiss Bank Director Vernet. His scarred face is instantly recognizable -- from spaghetti westerns to tough cop roles to dramas. He is a superb actor. However, in this film, he only gives a stilted performance that amounted to nothing more than a cameo role -- but could have been so much more. (SITE NOTE: Sci-fi buffs may remember that he got those facial scars in an accident filming the first "Dune" movie in 1984 while portraying Duke Atredeis.) There were a lot of the other minor actors I recognize from other films but just don't know their names. Howard assembled an international cast, but most of the French actors were unknown to me. For example, though I recognized the renowned French actor Jean-Pierre Marielle as the slain Louvre curator Jacques Sauniere, I did not recognize French actor Jean-Yves Berteloot as Remy, Sir Teabring's butler. Of course, being a history buff, the shots of the Louvre, the Roslin Chapel, the Church of St. Sulpice, and the fantastic footage filmed in London and Paris just dazzled me. The super-imposing of the historical figures that floated like ghosts over the modern day figures was a stroke of cinematic brilliance. The one scene of Westminster Abbey and the historical montage in fast-forward was perfect -- but it was a shame that the movie took so long to discover this technique. The most stirring scene was at the end when Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) figures out the mystery of Mary Magdalene's final resting place and like the Knights Templar, kneels at the foot of her tomb which turns out to be at the base of the inverted pyramid at the Louvre. After the movie was over, the Korean crowd was muted as they left the theater, giving the impression that they somehow found the material disconcerting -- or simply confusing. For my daughter, she was confused by all the biblical characters bandied around -- and had actually confused Mary Magdalene with Mary. This didn't make sense to her as Mary was Jesus' mother, but in the movie she thought they were trying to say that she was Jesus' wife. Over a bowl of mandu ramien after the movie, I tried explaining how in the movie the prostitute was really descended from the line of Israelite kings and not a prostitute at all. I completely failed to get the point across. I'm sure that there were many other Koreans who got confused in the same way -- because they had not read the book. The intellectual topics of the "divine feminine" ; the symbology of inverted "v's"; chalices and blades as sexual symbols; the spiritual power of sexual connection; analysis of the "Mona Lisa" and "Last Supper" paintings -- plus the use of language clues ("Sangreal" (blood = blood of Christ = cup = holy grail) into "Sang Real" (Royal blood) -- caused eyes of Korean folks in the audience to cloud over and numbed their minds. In addition, the reference to Job 3:11 on the stone in the Church of St. Sulpice left everyone blank -- including my daughter -- unless you read the book or memorized the bible. All the subplots to define the characters -- Langdon's fall into the well; Neveu's seeing her grandfather in a pagan sex ceremony; and Silas killing his father -- are interesting but really do nothing to flesh out the characters. The main characters, except for Teabring, all remained two-dimensional cut outs. As for my opinion, I give the movie four-and-a-half stars (out of five). But I liked Dan Brown’s book better -- and probably the 40 million readers of the book worldwide would agree. Of course, I still got the DVD (pirated version at Shinjang Mall with both Korean & English subtitles) as I think the movie is a keeper. Supreme Court Overturns Law for Blind Masseurs (May 2006) The Korean Supreme Court on 26 May declared a law granting visually impaired people the exclusive right to work as massage therapists unconstitutional. The freedom to choose occupation trumps the right to a special place in society, the court wrote in its ruling. A masseur attempted to light himself on fire on 30 May during a protest in central Seoul according to the Korea Times. Four masseurs jumped off the Mapo Bridge and into the Han River during a weeklong protest in Seoul starting on 1 June. Also several dozen blind people jumped on a subway track at Myongdong station, disrupting the trains for 40 minutes on 30 May, according to Yonhap News. To the blind masseurs it is a life-and-death issue as being a masseur was the only profession legally reserved for them. The ruling caught servicemembers by surprise as few were aware that legal masseuses and masseurs were ever required to be blind in the first place. However, as those who have lived in Korea for a while knows, Korean laws are basically statutes that are enforced selectively. For example, prostitution has been illegal in Korea since 1949, but Korea still has a sex industry that reportedly accounts for a staggering 4.4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This blind masseur law is another of those laws that has sat on the books without enforcement. According to the Korea Times, there are about 1,073 legal massage parlors operating nationwide and some 6,000 visually handicapped people are estimated to work as masseurs. However, the many thousands of other ILLEGAL massage parlors that have gone untouched over the years. (Source: Korea Times and Stars and Stripes.) We have known that many of the "spas" and "massage rooms" in Songtan and hotels in the Shinjang Mall area that were nothing more than fronts for the sex trade. However, we never knew -- as probably everyone else also -- that only blind masseurs were legal in the past. And if the USFK had known, it would have been reason for ALL massage parlors -- even those on bases in the past (i.e., Kunsan AB in 1990s) -- would have been off-limits. "Sports Massages" are common throughout areas frequented by the military in Korea. The Stars and Stripes described "sports massages" as "the kind that feel a bit like getting delightfully pummeled by a football team." There are legitimate "sports massage" establishments which feature the massage tables in an open room here in Songtan. In Shinjang Mall area, the one we know of is the Queen Sports Massage operated by Ms. Kim, the owner of the New Seoul Hotel. It is a reputable sports massage parlor -- unlike a few "sports massages" we have heard rumors of in the Songtan area with cameras at the entrance to warn of police raids and "hidden rooms." World Cup Fever (May-June 2006) On the streets of Songtan in May 2006, the Red Devil t-shirts were starting to appear. The hopes for the National Team rose when they defeated the US and Mexico in February in friendly matches. When Korea played Senegal in the first of four evaluation matches in May, EVERY Korean watched -- even those who don't like soccer -- as Korea battled to an indecisive 1-1 draw. After the Cinderella victories of the Korean baseball team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Koreans hoped for a repeat in the World Cup. Preparation rallies were being held in Seoul to get ready for the June World Cup -- and the expectations were that if the team performed well in their first game, the Red Devil fever would spread like wild fire. Newspapers showed photos of children at the Seoul World Cup stadium "practicing" their chants for the home team. One could hear Koreans already practicing shouting "Daehan Minguk" (Republic of Korea) with the now infamous battle cry "Oh Pilsung Korea" (Oh victory Korea). For the 2006 World Cup, the Vertex Dance -- akin to the line dancing at country bars -- has been designated as the quasi-official contortion to get people's spirits going. (See Vertex Dance: TV. A short animated clip from Samsung PAVV TV that shows former manager of the Korean national football team Guus Hiddink and the current coach Dick Advocaat dancing the "vertex dance" along with Pim Verbeek and football video analyst Afshin Ghotbi.)   T-shirts for the "Red Devils"  World Cup Fashion; Shin Mina (top center) (SITE NOTE: Surprisingly, even the BX stocked up on the red "Go Korea" shirts for men, women and kids. We wondered who had this brilliant idea to stock this -- as most GIs don't care one way or another for the Korean National Team. When my daughter saw it, she asked the question, "Why is this stuff in the BX?" In Korea, the World Cup games was NOT to be broadcast in English so it definitely was NOT being targeted to foreigners in Korea. Every World Cup match will be telecast on one of South Korea's over-the-air networks SBS, MBC and KBS; and in Japan on NHK, TV Asahi, TBS, TV Tokyo and Fuji TV -- but all in native languages. ESPN and ABC hold the cable and over-the-air television rights in the United States -- but AFN will NOT air the World Cup.) After the retirement of the core of the 2002 team, the team had a rocky start reorganizing itself. Previously both Portuguese Humberto Coelho and Dutchman Jo Bonfrere were hounded from the coaching job by a highly critical media and fans expecting the same brand of free-flowing football under Guus Hiddink, the Dutchman now in charge of Australia. Though popular, Dick Advocaat, the new head coach, hasn't reached the national hero status of Guss Hidink, the Dutchman who came to Korea and won the hearts and respect of all Koreans by taking the previously unheralded squad to the 2002 World Cup semi-final. In July 2005, Dick Advocaat took a job as coach of United Arab Emirates, but quit in September to take over South Korea's national team. South Korea have improved under Advocaat's guidance, racking up wins against powerful opposition such as Serbia, Croatia, Iran and Mexico, but doing well in Germany will require finding another gear as the competition is against the world's best. Korea Republic World Cup squadIn 2002, South Korea made it to the semifinals in a march that was a succession of cinderella victories. No one had given them much chance of every getting to the quarter-finals, much less the semi-finals. However, this year Korea struggled in its qualifying group for this year's tournament. South Korea will be taking part in their sixth successive World Cup finals in June, but even their most die-hard fan would be hard pressed to expect a repeat of their fairytale foray into the semi-finals on home soil in 2002. While Midfielder Park Ji-sung of Manchester United and Defender Lee Young-pyo of Tottenham Hotspur brought experience and a dash of world-class talent to the mix, the bulk of the squad comprises youngsters plying their trade in a comparatively dull domestic league. While Forward Cho Jae-jin (Shimizu S-Pulse) was a rising star on whom the Korean national team places high expectations, unfortunately Forward Ahn Jung-Hwan of Duisburg, the hero of the 2002 World Cup, had only turned in lackluster performances in the early warmups. The so-called Red Devils finished second in Asian qualifying behind Saudi Arabia. Even so, the South Koreans could have provided a strong challenge. Former World Cup champion France was to face Switzerland, Togo and 2002 semifinalists South Korea in Group-G at June's World Cup in Germany. In Group-G, France and Switzerland were the favorites to advance, but Korea couldn't be ruled out. Togo in its first time to the World Cup was not expected to be much of a challenge. However, the last two exhibition games against Senegal and Bosnia-Herzegovina raised cause for concern. The drop-off in the quality of play was huge when players such as Park, Manchester United's midfielder, the team's heart and engine, were not on the field. If one player's presence made such a difference in the performance of a 23-man team, there was no chance for that team to go far. Opponents would key in on that player and take him out. In addition, there were weaknesses noted in the defense and midfield positions. The third "friendly" warmup game before the World Cup with Norway ended in a 0-0 draw -- ostensibly because key players were not involved and the playing field was not what the team was used to. Regardless, hundreds of Korean fans gathered at Seoul Plaza at 2 am in the morning to root for their national team in front of the big screen TV. Though the public had raised its sights to the stars and World Cup victory, the experts were not so confident. Nearly nine out of 10 South Koreans expected their national team to reach the round of 16 in June's FIFA World Cup finals in Germany, according to a survey released on 31 May. The survey of 1,094 people, conducted by Sports Forum 21 and Global Sports Marketing, two Seoul-based private sports research centers, found that 88.3 percent of South Koreans forecast their team to survive the first round -- despite all the signs against it. Unfortunately, the last friendly warmup game was with World Cup qualifier Ghana on 4 June. This time, the team had all its starters and it suffered a humiliating 3-1 loss -- much to the chagrin of the avid Red fans. AFP reported that Ghana, which ranks number 48 in the world rankings, "settled into the game quicker, appearing faster and more comfortable on the ball than the South Koreans, who are listed 19 places higher in 29th place." While Ghana is well preprared for this year's tournament, "South Korea will need to show a marked improvement before taking on France, Switzerland and Togo in Group G if they wish to progress to the second stage." From Advocaat, the BBC singled out this blunt assessment: "Attack, midfield, defence, there wasn't a single good point." On 4 June nearly 20,000 soccer fans gathered at Seoul City Hall Plaza shouted "Daehan-minkuk," (Republic of Korea), while watching the Korean team's warm-up match with Ghana on big screens. The only ones not appreciating the events were some guests in nearby upscale hotels who demanded refunds because they could not sleep. Police estimated that about 15,000 people gathered at the World Cup Stadium and 1,000 people around Kyobo building in Gwanghwamun and nearby Cheonggyecheon Plaza. A "red wave" also flowed at other major cities, such as Gwangju, Daejeon and Daegu, as many citizens, many of whom wore in red T-shirts, the same color as the Korean team players' jerseys, turned out to cheer the Korean team. SK Telecom, the nation's biggest mobile carrier, supported the Seoul City Hall Plaza rally and other out-of-home cheering events. Before match, SK Telecom, SBS and MBC arranged big screens and show stages for the assembled people in front of the Seoul City Hall Plaza. Korean pop singers, such as Lee Hyo-lee, Psy, Jang Yun-jung, Baek Ji-young, Lee Sun-hee, and Lee Jung-hyun appeared performed on the stage to boost the cheering atmosphere. However, immediately following the loss to Ghana one started to hear complaints that in 2002 the "cheering" of support was spontaneous, but now the "cheering" was all "packaged" -- with commercial activities promoting the "cheering" with specials and hired performers. However, there would be many free big screen shows for "cheering events" without commercial backing. The payments for big-screen public showings to the Korean Broadcasters Association ran between $5,000-$50,000. Most small towns have cancelled previous scheduled showings because of the costs.  Dick Advocaat, Korea Soccer Coach Soccer is a bit of a mania in Songtan. On Sundays, stop by the Jisan Elementary School -- where the road is blocked by so many cars of the adult players holding soccer games there -- from spring through fall. Thus there are a lot of fans roaming the streets. As the start of the World Cup in Germany neared, more and more Red Devil t-shirts and faces painted with Korean flags appeared on the streets. The local TV featured more and more commercials with the key soccer players -- just like the coach Dick Advocaat and his commercial for a credit card company. Just about every other commercial featured a soccer player -- from eatting ramien to drinking beer to sports thirst quenchers. As a minimum a commercial on TV had a soccer ball somewhere in the spot. The World Cup mania started to heat up. Retailers, including upscale department stores like Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae as well as discounters, all welcomed the quadrennial soccer competition beginning June 9 with various promotional events. They ranged from sales of soccer paraphernalia, such as Red Devils T-shirts, caps and uniforms, various souvenirs and raffle tickets. Retailers, especially discounters like E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Samsung Tesco Homeplus stepped up their marketing of PDP television sets and LCD TVs. Hyundai Motors had a car speeding over a World Cup crowd in its spot, but my favorite was a telephone advertisement with a gorilla and man watching the World Cup. The gorilla gets excited and boots the TV out the window by mistake. Food and beverage companies, such as Papa John's pizza chain, Coca-Cola, and beer maker OB, launched large-scale marketing campaigns to woo local consumers. Rapidly expanding Papa John's went so far as to include former Korean soccer coach Gus Hiddink in its advertisements. Coca-Cola, whose sales had been straining under a growing consumer aversion to drinks laden with sugar and calories, was playing up the World Cup fever through television commercials starring Korean soccer players. Just about every commercial had a soccer linkage...it was surreal. As the day of the first match for the ROK team on 14 Jun, there was great expectations. Their hero Gus Hidink coached his Australian team to a rout over Japan. The fifth-ranked US team suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to an aging Czech team. Then the coach of the Togo team resigned over a cash bonus dispute a day before the ROK-Togo match. Things looked promising and the spirits of the ROK perked up. My students wearing body-paint on their faces and Korean flag decals on their foreheads -- and even enjoyed teaching me the "Daehan miguk" chants. In Seoul, the crowd started assembling around 5pm with the pre-game shows of singers singing the standard 1980s hit, "We are the Champions." In Songtan, there was a "cheering" rally held at Leports Park in Ichung-dong. My daughter attended the rally with her friends. The game started at 10pm and Togo drew first blood with a shot that deflected in off the goal post -- though the ROK team had more shots on goal. Lee Chun-Soo came back to tie it on a penalty kick and then Ahn Jung-Hwan, brought in as a relief, scored the winning goal. Ahn, the hero of the 2002 World Cup Games, did it again in a 2-1 win over Togo. The second game was with France and ended in a 1-1 tie. Because it was broadcast at 3am, there was not as large a showing, but many Koreans woke up especially to see the game -- like my dummy daughter who had to go to school in the morning. An estimated 500,000 soccer fans took to the streets across the nation early on the morning of 19 Jun to watch South Korea play France in their World Cup game. Seoul Square in front of City Hall was filled with people in red T-shirts cheering for the national football team during its match against France in Group G of the World Cup in Leipzig. The French drew first blood in the first half, but the South Koreans came back in the second to tie the match after a shot deflected by the goal post was nudged in by Park Ji-sung. Thierry Henry put France ahead in the ninth minute, but Park Ji-sung scored the tensely awaited equalizer 36 minutes into the second half. With the match, Korea was well placed to advance to the round of 16, topping group G with four points (one win against Togo and a draw). France had two points after two draws, the Swiss one point with one draw, and Togo none with one defeat. Tension was building toward the next match with Switzerland. 700,000 gathered in Seoul Square on 18 Jun at 4am in the morning. Despite warnings of rain, the crowd were in high spirits. However, the match ended in a 2-0 win for the Swiss, though the ROK team did not have many attempts at goals blocked by the outstanding goal keeping by the Swiss. The ROK team did not have anything to be ashamed of their performance, but they simply came up short. The crowds though disappointed accepted the defeat and simply dispersed. There was no flag-waving or editorials -- simply stoic silence. However, soon the shock wore off and the Korean netizens were furious venting their rage at the officials biased calls, claiming their team had to fight “11 men to 14.” The complaints varied from claims that the officials awarded the Swiss free kicks on legitimate challenges and closed their eyes to Swiss handling of the ball. The biggest claim was that the refs were "out to get Korea" by awarding the Swiss a goal on what appeared to be an offsides. In the 32nd minute of the second half, when Korea was a point behind Switzerland, Xavier Margairaz, a Swiss midfielder passed the ball to his colleague on his right. The ball was reflected, however, by a Korean defender, Lee Ho, and was directed to Alexander Frei who was dashing forward and the ball was tipped into the goal in the next few seconds. Although the linesman raised his flag, the referee Horacio Elizondo (Argentinean) ignored it and approved the goal, igniting the flame of the “offside controversy.” The SBS commentator Shin Mun-seon stated that he did not view it as an offside violation -- and was recalled by SBS under pressure from the public who branded him a "traitor." But to most, the Korean team simply was outclassed -- as most critics said they were from the start. Despite this, the Koreans played a good clean game -- and had nothing to be ashamed of. They simply got beaten by a better team. Soon after the loss, Dick Advocaat congratulated the team for their efforts to make it to the World Cup and stepped down. Advocaat said he was content with what he achieved with the squad. The Dutchman will coach the Russian club, Zenit St. Petersburg. ``We didn’t have a little bit of luck, as much as we had in 2002,’’ he said. ``We beat Togo, in the game we had to win, and drew with France. In the Swiss match, the Swiss team deserved to win, but we played one of our best games in the second half. Unfortunately there were some strange calls from the referee about the offside and hand balls.’’ Advocaat also confirmed he’s bringing World Cup squad members Lee Ho and Kim Dong-jin to Zenit to join him. The assistant coach Pim Verbeek was chosen to succeed Advocaat. Verbeek played an important role in South Korea's 2002 World Cup advance to the semifinals at the side of then manager Guus Hiddink. When Advocaat took the reins of the national team last September, Verbeek was once again second-in-command, earning him the reputation of the most knowledgeable foreigner on the Korean team. The next appearance of the national team is in Aug 2006 for the Asian Games. To the rest of the millions of TV viewers, there was a sigh of relief as the non-stop soccer advertisements were wearing thin. Every manufacturer tried to cash in on the soccer fever and suddenly it stopped -- much to the relief of the viewers. The TV broadcasters were also happy as they reaped $65.1 million in profits from all the advertising. Korea emails were blocked from the FIFA site TWICE after fans deluged the site with hate mail -- in attempts to crash the site with overloads -- in order to protest, first, how they were ripped off by the judges ruling; and second, after FIFA dropped Korea's ranking to 56th place after their loss early in the World Cup. Oh ... and Italy won the World Cup ... but for the average Korean, they had stopped watching the soccer matches weeks before. June 2006Food Poisoning at 30 schools and private institutions A massive food poisoning occurred for several days beginning June 16 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, causing about 3,000 students at some 30 schools to have nausea, diarrhea, stomachaches and fever. Students got sick after eating meals supplied by the nation's largest food distributor, CJ Food System. (NOTE: Initial reports on 23 June listed 1,700 students affected. The figure increased to 2,300 by 26 June. The figures were revised to 3,000 in the August reports.)About 50 workers at an environmental research complex in Inchon have shown food poisoning-like symptoms after eating meals in their cafeteria. Workers from two other private companies also became sick from cafeteria food. (Source: Seoul News.net.) On 23 Jun, the South Korean Government said it was investigating an outbreak of food poisoning in Seoul area and Gyeonggi-do schools, which has affected 1,700 children. The Education Ministry said students from 25 schools in Seoul had suffered from symptoms including nausea, diarrhea, stomach aches and fever since the 16th of June. The government launched a full-scale inspection of some 10,000 school cafeterias across the nation to check sanitation and food distribution procedures. Health officials shut down the cafeterias at dozens of schools in the Seoul area, saying they did not meet cleanliness standards. Prime Minister Han Myeong-Sook, chairing a government meeting, has called for an investigation of food distributors who supplied meals to schools. The blame was laid at the foot of the CJ Food System which provided meals to the schools, but no specific process or contaminated food product could be pinpointed. (Source: ABC.net.) The National Assembly immediately passed a revision bill on 23 Jun aimed at diversifying school meal suppliers, which have been largely dominated by a few large companies, and encouraging local governments to provide financial support for better operation of school cafeterias. The government and ruling party decided to convert the system of food suppliers from a declaration system to a licensing system, and hand out a budget for those schools that switch from consignment to direct management. Big catering companies are mostly distribution-centered businesses, so they take responsibility only for problems concerning distribution. The new law changed it so that the catering companies take overall responsibility for meals, and inspect food safety together with food suppliers. (Source: Korea Times and Donga Ilbo.) My daughter, along with other students, also fell ill to diarhea and upset stomach at Songtan Girls High School after lunch on 19 Jun. They released my daughter and other affected students from school for fear of contagion in the much publicized food poisoning scare. We took her to the doctor's office who prescribed medicine, bland foods and rest. My daughter attended school the next day without any major recurrence of the illness so we did not think more of this topic -- until a friend visiting Seoul fell ill with the same symptoms a few days later. A friend of mine, Hans Peterman, a Korean War vet on a ROK-sponsored vets tour, also came down with the same symptoms as food poisoning and ended up in a hospital suffering from dehydration on 24 Jun. It turned out that of the group of 59 about 12 came down with some of the same symptoms after a formal luncheon in Seoul. It was strange that all these cases of dysentary and stomach problems all happened around the same period as the student food poisoning outbreak. Hans wrote: "I become very ill with diarrhea and vomiting on our second day, Sat. 6/24. It began at 0700, and by 1430 I gave up, asked the hotel for a doctor. They had none available, so a staff member took me to the ER at a nearby hospital, Soon Chung Hyang University, where they determined, after a series of many tests, to have severe dehydration. they IV'd me, gave me bottles of orange juice and ionized water and turned me loose at 2000 with medication for the next three days. They did an excellent job on me, (A doctor even called me a couple of days later to check up on me.) I missed, of course, all our planned activities for Sat. and then half of the events for Sun. and Mon. while recovering at the hotel. ... I wasn't the only one afflicted. Our leaders said that at least a dozen of our group of 54 (29 veterans) had gotten sick. I found out also that two other gentlemen had come down with identical problems as mine, although they didn't go to a hospital. We compared notes and we all experienced the onset within hours after a formal big-wig luncheon on Fri. 6/23. I can't recall what we had at the luncheon but I am convinced that that is where it all started."ROK Fails to Determine Cause of Infection (Aug 2006) The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on 8 Aug that it failed to determine the cause of the massive infection due to the lack of evidence. A causal connection between the virus and the food given to the students was NOT found. But the center said it has identified the norovirus as a major cause of the massive infection since it was found in 124 of the 2,873 patients who suffered from the food poisoning. "Noro Virus, which is being indicated as the cause of this incident, is not included in food poisoning regulations; even if it is detected, related companies can not be punished." Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min expressed his perplexity at this, saying, "There is no technology that can detect the Noro Virus in advance." Simultaneous exposure to the virus is believed to have caused the viral infection. The health authority also said it was still unable to determine the connection between the source of the virus and the food provided by CJ Food System. According to the announcement, the government is likely to take administrative and legal action against CJ Food, which provided food and operated cafeterias at most of the schools that were affected by the incident. The KFDA plans to revoke CJ's business license, and the Seoul metropolitan government will issue orders to close its branch offices if the company is confirmed to be responsible for the outbreak CJ Food System, the nation's largest food caterer and food supplier, has been under fire for providing food ingredients and operating cafeterias at most of the schools hit by the food poisoning. Taking responsibility for the incident, the company decided to shut down its catering business at 93 elementary, middle and high schools and 35 universities across the nation. CJ decided on 23 Jun to suspend the supply of food ingredients to 1,700 cafeteria operators around the nation. The decision came a day after the company halted operation of its 536 cafeterias in schools and companies nationwide. The KFDA plans to revoke CJ's business license, and the Seoul metropolitan government will issue orders to close its branch offices if the company is confirmed to be responsible for the outbreak. (Source: Korea Times.)(SITE NOTE: It was noted that in America in Sep 2005, the presence of ecoli bacteria on LETTUCE in premade salad mixes were found. Dole prepackaged lettuce salad mixes (Classic Romaine variety, the American Blend, or Greener Selection) with Romaine lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots were found to be contaminated. This astounded many as this was never thought possible for green produce -- only hamburger and other meat products. This resulted in nationwide recalls of the prepackaged salad batches suspected of being contaminated. Symptoms of E. coli illness include stomach cramps and diarrhea. Bloody diarrhea may develop. E. coli disease sometimes leads to a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure. People typically become ill two to five days after eating contaminated food. E. coli disease should not be treated with antibiotics, which can cause additional complications. (Source: About Ecoli.)) July 2006Protest at Osan AB Fizzles (July 2006) On 4 July, anti-American activists began a five-day march from Seoul to Pyeongtaek to protest plans to expand Camp Humphreys. Fifty members of the Pan-National Committee to Deter the Expansion of Pyeongtaek U.S. Base were to walk 91 kilometers from the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae to the town of Daechuri. They will hold rallies outside the Defense Ministry in Seoul and a detention house in Pyeongtaek where some of their colleagues are being held in custody. The coalition also said popular actors Choi Min-sik, movie director Bong Jun-ho and other prominent figures from various sectors have joined their 571-member group. However, this march was over-shadowed by the FTA protests and the pending missile "test" launches by the North. There did not appear to be much support for the march -- except by the farmer groups, but they were tied up in Seoul with the FTA protests.Activists planned a march on 7 July with about 200 people who were to march from Suwon Train Station to Suwon Air Base and from Osan Subway Station to Osan Air Base's main gate. They were expected to stay overnight outside Osan -- and most likely a counter-demonstration by the Merchant's Association would probably be scheduled as the area would most certainly be declared off-limits and cut into the area business. On 8 July the march was to continue to Pyeongtaek City Hall, then to Pyeongtaek Train Station and from there to Daechuri. On 7-8 March nothing appeared in the Tongil News that would normally monitor the march. Instead all the attention was detracted by an expected 100,000 that were expected to demonstrate against the FTA in Seoul on 9 July. The planned march fizzled and the only indication of a protest was the large banner at Shinjang mall that stated the the Shinjang Mall Merchants "Emphatically Object" to any protests that damaged their business. Notice that it was not a condemnation of the protest -- only a condemnation of effects to their business. In other words, the meaning was to protest somewhere else. A somewhat confusing message. Typhoon Ewiniar Hits Korea (July 2006) On 9 Jul, the weather was cloudy with a few sprinkles in the area. The weather was unusually muggy and rain clouds were in the sky. Although it still had not landed in the Korean Peninsula, typhoon Ewiniar was already causing damage. On July 9, in Yeongnam region, which encompasses Daegu and Gyeongbuk Province, seven people were killed or went missing, including an 80-year-old man who was swept away and killed by surging water levels causing by torrential rains. With Ewiniar expected to reach Jeju Island by the night of July 9, the entire country was under typhoon alert. The number of casualties nationwide stood at six dead with two missing. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center stated Ewiniar grazed Okinawa to on 8 July. Pusan reported 141 millimeters of rain from 8-9 Jul, while strong winds (20mps) caused flights cancellations into and from the southeastern port city. Ewiniar moved up the West Sea at 37 kmh in a northwesterly direction. Changing course slightly to the east, Typhoon Ewiniar came ashore near Jindo in South Jeolla province at 10:50 a.m. 9 July and began a leisurely transit of the peninsula, losing steam as it went inland. But the storm was still powerful enough to dump 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rain in some parts of the nation's south. The Cholla area received the most damage. The Korea Meteorological Administration upped the typhoon alert in southwestern parts of the country -- Gwangju, South Jeolla Province and nearby islands like Hongdo. Jeju and South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang provinces saw heavy rains of between 100 to 200 mm on 10 Jul, with over 300 mm of precipitation in some parts of the island. About 60-120 mm of rain fell in North Gyeongsang and South Chungcheong provinces, and 20-80 mm in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi, North Chungcheong and Gangwon provinces. Heavy rain began flooding Chungchong provinces, Kyongsang provinces, brought in by air currents accompanying the typhoon from the southwest. Amid lightning and rain storms up to 40 millimeters of rain per hour fell. By 3 a.m. 10 July, the eye of what was left of the storm was over the ocean east of the country. The storm put Kunsan Air Base, Osan Air Base, and Chinhae Naval Base in its “hot zone”. Ewiniar passed 107 miles west of Chinhae on the southeast coast at 6 p.m. 10 Jul and 15 miles north of Kunsan at 7 p.m. 10 Jul. Osan and Kunsan ABs were spared Ewiniar’s wrath. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center stated the fourth storm of the northwest Pacific’s tropical cyclone season moved north into the Yellow Sea and skirted the Korean peninsula farther west than originally forecast. The storm passed southeast of Osan around 6 pm on 10 Jul about 130 miles west packing sustained winds of 58 mph and gusts of up to 75 mph at its center. However, at Osan most people commented -- "What typhoon?" Though it was windy, the main damage was that of small tree branches -- mostly twigs -- that were blown off, but no real damage in Songtan. There was very little rain and only the moderately strong winds -- not a typhoon-like experience. The typhoon dissipated 11 hours after it hit the southern part of the peninsula, turning into a warm low pressure system some 80 km east of Seoul at 10 p.m.. The storm then moved into the ocean and completely disappeared overnight. Ewiniar means "Storm God" in the Chuuk language of Micronesia and burned itself out in Manchuria on 11 Jul at 9 a.m. After Ewiniar passed, another typhoon named Bilis became a possible threat, but it was much smaller and categorized as a mid-grade typhoon that touched the west coast of Guam and turned northward at the Philippines towards Taiwan. ”The name "Bilis" means “speed” or “fleetness” and was contributed by the Philippines. Heavy Rains Wrecks Havoc on Korea (Jul 2006) Heavy rains were predicted for the area from Typhoon Ewiniar, but it bypassed Osan. In Songtan, on 15 Jul it had sweltering hot weather as the humidity climbed with temperatures in the 80s. Though our apartment is normally very cool, even on the hottest of days, it got to be so hot on 15 Jul, we turned on the bedroom air conditioner to get some sleep. According to the blogs, other Americans in Korea were operating their air conditioners full time. On the Lost Nomad blog, he posted an unusual weather reading. It was a humorous note to the question, "Can it possibly be anymore humid?" The humidity showed 100 percent.  Weather Reading (15 Jul 06) (Lost Nomad) But the Gangwon Province did not find it humorous. A storm front had moved down from the north in the wake of Typhoon Ewiniar and lingered over the area for four days. The rivers started to swell and disaster was looming. On 16 July, weather officials issued heavy rain warnings for most of Gangwon Province and Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province and parts of Chungcheong Province and North Gyeongsang Province. The downpours came in the midst of the annual monsoon season. At least 37 people were killed or missing in torrential rains that pounded South Korea's central and northeastern region on 16 Jul. The heavy rains around central area of South Korea caused the Han River to overflow and all 12 riverside parks of Han River, including the ones in Jamsil and Yeouido, to be inundated with water. It is the first time this has happened since 2002. The overflow brought traffic to a standstill on Olympic Boulevard. Most of the victims were reported in Inje and Pyeongchang in the nation's eastern Gangwon Province where rains of more 500 mm caused floods and landslides. The landslides blocked roads causing the traffic to simply stop dead in its tracks forcing people to sleep in their cars and buses. The traffic backed up and there was no way to turn around. Trains were also stopped as the waters rose over the tracks in places and aircraft at the Gangwon airport was grounded. Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul reported one person dead and three others missing. In Anyang, south of Seoul, a 10-meter section of a stream dike collapsed, flooding 500 houses. Officials warned that several other streams in the province were also feared to overflow their banks. More than 2,000 people were evacuated in Gangwon Province, most of whom took shelter in town halls and schools. The TV was filled with scenes of people sleeping on the floors of classrooms, people wading through flooded streets, rivers washed out, bridges reaching the overflow stages, dump trucks pouring stones into the bases of bridges to stop erosion, forkcranes trying to clear mudslide damages, homes demolished by landslides, and dams pouring out water it could not hold back. The rain also flooded more than 1,000 houses and 985 hectares, or 9.8 million square meters, of farmland. Yanggu in eastern Gangwon Province had the most rain with 512 millimeters. Cheongil in the southwestern province received 469.5 mm, while Inje and Chuncheon received 393.5 mm and 303.5 mm, respectively. On 16 Jul the storm started to move south. Weather officials predicted that the rain front would affect the country till the about 19 Jul. On 19 Jul, the storm abated though the skies over Songtan were still overcast with drizzles. Four more bodies were found in flood-hit areas in the northern part of country overnight today, pushing the death toll to at least 25. Another 24 people are unaccounted for. Two of the dead were previously listed as missing and another two were recovered after being swept by rain-swollen rivers in Inje, Gangwon Province, the National Emergency Management Agency said. Three people who were reported as missing were found alive. The national disaster agency expected the number of casualties to increase as the search for survivors continued in Gangwon Province where over 7,800 people were isolated due to the rain-swollen streams. The government also designated 18 locations nationwide as special disaster zones, where flood victims would receive special aid and financial compensation. The designated areas include seven counties and districts in Gangwon Province, such as Hongcheon, Inje and PyeongChang. In Japan, the same storm resulted in at least 10 people dead and another 10 were missing after heavy rain lashed western and central Japan causing mudslides and flash floods. The deaths extended over four prefectures--Nagano, Fukui, Okayama and Shimane. However, the damage in the North was reported as much worse. The Associated Press reported on 19 Jul that floods and landslides in the DPRK had left more than 100 people dead or missing, as the DPRK's official media acknowledged heavy rains had caused "tremendous losses." The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the harsh weather in the DPRK caused flash floods that damaged 11,524 houses, leaving more than 9,000 families homeless. Monsoon Rains Continue (July 2006) On 25 Jul the USFK issued flood warnings and braced for heavy rainfall. The rain is to come courtesy of Typhoon Kaemi that headed toward the eastern Chinese coast. According to a news release, residents in areas I, II and III received up to 10 inches of rain by 29 Jul. Area IV, on the southern portion of the peninsula expected 4-6 inches of rain. Rain damage continued throughout the country as the already drenched soil received more rain. The seasonal rains lashed Seoul, central Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Chungcheong provinces with up to 300 millimeters in two consecutive days. Most of the damage was in the southern parts of Gyeonggi Province. Heavy rainfall broke part of the Anseong stream bank in the southern part of Pyeongtaek. Up to 2,700 residents in the area were given a flood warning at 1 p.m. on 28 Jul. Experts said that this summer's torrential rain over the last 40 days will be recorded as the heaviest rainfall in history after 611.7 millimeters of rain fell in 1987. The seasonal rain front started in June 14, dumping 686.7 millimeters as of 6 p.m. 28 Jul. For the month of July, rainfall has been over 3 feet at Seoul (38.48 inches), or three times the normal rainfall of 12.73 inches. In Songtan, the rains continued non-stop from the 25th of July. The rains at times made driving dangerous as cars sprayed water on the windshields while driving. The conditions worsened on the 28th when the base went to road condition red and stopped vehicular traffic to the base on the morning of the 28th. On 28 Jul the sewers on base were overflowing down near the BX and the streets were filled with running water -- meaning it was a big splash hazard for pedestrians. There were reports that the Chinwi River overflowed its banks as well as the streams down in Pyeongtaek. There were photos on the news of water spewing from underground vents into the Anseong River. On the 29th the rains continued but not as heavily as on the 28th and road conditions were downgraded to Amber. Our apartment is unusually cool because it is out of the direct sunlight most of the day with breezes from cross-ventilation. However, when the winds stopped and the rain fell, you just had just sit and swelter. On the 29th we turned on the airconditioner for the first time -- not because of the heat, but because the humidity was so high that the outdoor security lights showed the moisture hanging in the air like a fog. On the Jul 30th the rains stopped and finally there was sunshine, but the ground everywhere was soaked and mushy. After the skies cleared up on the 30th, I took my dog Shelly out to walk the streets playing with my history hobby, but just glad to get out of the house. However, the humidity was still a little high as the ground water was evaporating. Shelly enjoyed finally being able to get out and smell everything, but was panting in the heat. (I carry a bottle of water and a plastic cup for her in my backpack.) Stopped into a little shop for Naengmyeon (cold noodles). Shelly sitting under the table conned the owner and man sitting at the next table out of their eggs from their naengmyeon. We were just glad the rainy spell was over!!! The one thing I found disturbing was that my baseball hats all sported mold because the non-stop rainfall with high humidity and overcast skies that made the apartment a mold farm. Bags in the storage area and everything not in well-ventilated areas had mold. Even the uneaten dried dog food in Shelly's dish had mold on it. What was most distressing was the mold also developed on some of my precious house plants that I keep on the veranda. The Korean wild orchids soil was coated with a layer of mold that looked like someone had spread creamed cheese over it. One small plant turned into what looked like a cotton ball. The worst off were the succulents (coral plants and cacti). There was just too much water in the air and the soil wouldn't dry out -- lost three of them to what appeared to be root rot. The begonias also croaked. All of the plants suffered from the lack of sunshine due to the prolonged rainy weather. As our apartment is in the shade most of the day, there was almost no sun for the plants due to the rain. The plants all looked peaked from the two solid weeks of overcast skies. (NOTE: In August I bought new plants for 7000 won -- recycling the pots, but even these showed signs of heat stress as well -- some leaf tips withered and brown. This means that not only my plants but nursery plants suffered as well. Because of the root rot lost more plants.) EPILOGUE: (22 Aug 2006) My plants continued to die, but I suspect that it might have been my fault as well. I bought some houseplant food (liquid) in the BX. I used it on the plants and they ALL started dying. It might have been a combination of the root rot and the shock of this new plant food which I'm pretty sure I mixed correctly according to the directions. Not all the plants died but they all have suffered. Talk about someone who was a bit piffed. Some showed signs of recovering from the heat stress, but then withered after I used the BX plant food. Thus I can't blame the weather completely for my disaster. What a shame... CDs are IN; Video Tapes are OUT but CHEAP!!! (July 2006) As I have mentioned before, I'm addicted to movies -- but I don't want to pay the inflated prices of the BX. Thus I buy pirated DVDs -- shame on me -- for $5 a copy or "buy-4/get one free". However, I was walking down a road off Jeyok Road and I noticed a faded sign that said "3 tapes for 1000 won." I went in and sure enough the tapes were in the back room. At those prices, you can simply chuck it in the trash after watching it. Now that DVDs are the medium of choice, video tapes are being trashed by the video shops. Anyway, I bought $10 worth of tapes (30) and got 5 free as "service." That's 35 tapes for $10 -- or 35 cents each. That's a bargain for a movie nut such as me. However, the main reason I was interested in the video tapes was that I'm also a Chinese movie addict -- not the modern Jackie Chan stuff, but the traditional movies where guys fly through the air, battle with a thousand soldiers (and win), and break castle walls with a single blow. Villans are pure evil -- not after sex or money -- but the pure joy of power and prestige. Pure fantasy!!! My biggest gripe with DVD Chinese movies in the BX is that they are flunky 1960 flicks (dubbed in English) that are just plain stupid and a waste of money. The pirated DVDs on Shinjang Mall have some Chinese movies, but most have turned out to be Korean-Chinese joint venture films that are of the formula-flick variety. Thus this shop was a bargain treasure trove. If you see the shop and stop in to buy tapes, recommend you look at the tapes carefully. If the label looks faded like its been in the sun too long, don't buy it. It's too old. The first tape I watched went into the trash can immediately as it was from the 1970s and the tape quality had degenerated. I trashed it instead of risking dirtying my VCR heads. A lot of the tapes fell in this category. The second tape turned out to be a part I of the Dune triology (under a different name) that I already have on CD -- so I hit eject. The third tape was the 6th Day with Arnold Schwartzenager that I had seen a bunch of times before on TV, but had forgotten the title. I hit eject again. The next was a thirty-year old made-for-TV kung-fu movie with really terrible action scenes made with speedup camera work. It was from the 1970s Bruce Lee generation with simplistic sound effects and visual effects. Its amazing how far Chinese movies have progressed in sophistication dealing with special effects. These were popular on Korean TV back in the late 1980s-early 1990s, but simply too tedious to watch now. I hit the reject and trashed it along with the other six tapes in the set. Then I found a movie to my liking. This was not a movie with super-heroes flying through the air, but it had nice head-chopping, people being drawn and quartered, slaves branded on their foreheads, etc. with blood flying everywhere. It was called The Emporer's Shadow. Though there was no English subtitles, the acting was good and you could figure out that the Emporer was cold and heartlessly cruel because he had to be in order to remain Emporer. Plots to kill him abounded. When courtiers disagreed, he simply threw them over the waterfall to their death. When he survives an assassination attempt by one of his own generals whose identity is not discovered, hundreds of peasant workers are slaughtered as scapegoats because he could not be seen as weak. In the end, he is forced to personally kill his only true friend who saved his life in his childhood. Then the Emporer marches alone though the assembled masses of civil servants and troops. Alone he climbs to the top of a pyramid to light a fire to ask the gods for the protection of the nation -- and falls to his knees to sob all alone. An Emporer is always alone. I liked it!!! I even found the Once Upon a Time in China #4, 5 and 6 that did NOT star Jet Li, but had the other supporting actors from the series. #4 had pretty good action for a Class B flick, but #5 started to get tedious with its slanted shots to give it an artsy feel. #6 like all sequels had become totally boring with its made-for-television photography and lack of discernable plot. (NOTE: I have Once Upon a Time in China #1, 2, and 3 with Jet Li on CD.) But then in my newly found treasure trove, I found a surprise film: Once Upon a Time in China and America starring Jet Li. It was an awful film made for both American and Asian consumption. It contained every horrible stereotype and cliche from good/bad American Indians to good/bad cowboys to bandits and of course, the Chinese in America. What was really funny was watching the bandit leader using kungfu kicks in cowboy boots. It is no wonder Jet Li does NOT list this film on his film credits. Regardless I'm still glad I saw it -- bad or not. I went back and bought another $10 worth of tapes -- seeking all the Chinese movies I could find and a bunch of comedies. That's a total of 70 tapes for $20 -- with the DVDs I get only 5 DVDs for $20. Then I found in the batch, a 1990s Michelle Yeoh kung-fu flick with an almost non-existent plot but where Michelle still exhibited her fantastic kungfu flexibility as she takes on a bandit leader in a battle of martial art skills. Of course, I also picked up other flicks with Jet Li, Donnie Yen and other Chinese stars. These included movies with Jackie Chan who incidentally I've been watching since his first supporting roles back in the mid-1960s when he was -- how would you put it -- more plain in appearance (big nose with a shaved head). Accidental Spy and Rush Hour were the standard Jackie Chan fare with risky stunts and lots of action that I'd seen before. I even got two samurai flicks in the batch. One was a so-so 1980s flick with Sonny Chiba as the bad guy that followed the worn-out Japanese plot of all the samurai dying to protect the young lord from the villians. The other was really terrible Sho Kosugi flick, Shogun Mayeda, in which the only saving grace was the acting of the legendary Toshiro Mifune, but even that couldn't save this honker from the trash bin. As to American flicks, I finally got to see the entire HBO "Gettysburg" movie which years ago I only got to see a portion of on TV. I picked up some old "007" movies along with some comedies such as the Eddie Murphy "I Spy" flick and the hokey Beethoven I to III series. Also picked up some good melodramas. There were also a group of losers that went straight to the trash. In the end, I had one trash bag of throw-away tapes -- some that I watched one time and trashed -- and others that I simply trashed immediately after seeing the poor quality. Even with the trashed losers, it was cheap if you're a movie addict like me. All in all, I was very happy with the purchases. In the end, out of the 70 films, there were 20 "keepers" which to me was a good deal. Thus for movie addicts, there are bargains out there that you can stumble upon. You just need to keep your eyes open. To get to the shop, go down Youngchon Alley and go across Jeyok Road. Go down the road past the small market. The "Scene" Video Rental" shop is on your right. Small protest at Shinjang Mall (July 2006) There was supposed to be a protest on 7 Jul in front of the Main Gate after marching from the Osan Train Station to Songtan. However, because of the rains, the protest fizzled. They held a small protest in Anjung outside Camp Humphreys during a clear spell on 22 July after typhoon Ewiniar passed. Then came the monsoon rains came and the protests again were stalled. The protestors are mainly "fair-weather" protestors who only show up on clear hot days. Being summer vacation, the college-age activists are on break and free to protest. On 31 July, a small group of perhaps ten people chanted in front of the Osan AB Main Gate protesting the "Strategic Flexibility" policy of the US in Northeast Asia. Unfortunately for these protestors, the situation is out of their hands -- and there is nothing more to be said on this issue. The US will forge ahead with its policy -- while the ROK has "abstained" from giving its approval. The die has been cast and in the October Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) expect to hear some bad news for Korea. The concerns for life at Osan by contractors may become an issue. The Shinjang Mall businesses position on these protests is that they "emphatically disapprove" of these protests that affect their businesses. Protests tend to shut the Main Gate and stop GIs from spending their money downtown.   (L) & (R) Protest in front of Main Gate at Shinjang Mall (31 July 2006) (Tongil News)   (L) & (R) Protest in front of Main Gate at Shinjang Mall (31 July 2006) (Boram O'Sullivan) New Protest Target: Osan AB at Shinjang Mall??? (Jul 2006) The protests at Anjung-ni and Daechu-ri have been met by resistance from the area merchants and local residents. Though most of the farmers support the other farmers in Daechu-ri, the land promised to the US military is all but a lost cause. There have been small protests but the government started to demolish the abandoned homes in the area starting on 30 June. On 31 July, the residents of Daechu-ri along with Unification activists staged a candlelight vigil -- led by Fr. Mun Chon-Hyun, our favorite radical activist priest. (See Anti-US Expansion Protests in the Pyongtaek Area (Jan 2006-???).) It seems that there may be a shift in focus for the protests. Instead of protesting the Daechu-ri farmers' plight, the latest Unification activists protest dealt with "strategic flexibility" dealing with the regional role of the USFK forces -- over the objections of the ROK government. On 31 July the Tongil News ran an article on Osan AB along with the small protest there. The article talked about the bomb storage areas presenting a danger to the surrounding communities and the A-10 being the center of the environmental damage to the Kooni Range (now given back to the ROK). The general tone was that the US military posed a danger to the citizens who live near the base. The pictures below from the article showed shots from all sides of the base -- with the obvious intent of starting a new campaign aimed at Osan AB now that the Daechu-ri protests have fizzled. Unfortunately, there is more and more disinterest in these protests now that the worries are the wishes for the Yankees to Go Home may become a reality.  Osan AB Aerial View (31 July 2006) (Tongil News)   (L) View of Runway from Doolittle Gate area (R) Security Police at Doolittle Gate (31 July 2006) (Tongil News)   (L) View of ricefields to the west of base (R) Patriot Batteries seen from across the Chinwi River (31 July 2006) (Tongil News) August 2006After the Rains Came the Heat (Aug 2006) With hot humid days following the long rainfall, people across the nation are experiencing difficulty sleeping due to high temperatures even at night. It's called the tropical night phenomenon. Tropical nights refer to a weather phenomenon where the lowest temperature does not fall below 25 degrees Celsius (78 farenheit) during the night.Southern parts of the Korean Peninsula and the east coast areas had tropical nights for five consecutive days as of 4 Aug. The morning lows for 4 Aug in Kangnung remained at 25.8 degrees Celsius, Chonju 25 degrees, Taegu 25.6 degrees and Kwangju 25.2 degrees. The mercury in central parts of the country was slightly below 25 degrees, with Seoul 24.8 degrees and Inchon 24.2 degrees. But downtown areas had higher temperature because of the heat in built-up areas, and citizens there had sleeping troubles too. As the sun poured down, almost all regions of the country had this year's highest temperatures, with midday highs soaring to 34.7 degrees (95 farenheit) in Seoul, and 37 degrees (100 degrees) in Uisong, North Kyongsang Province. The heat index, which indicates the heat people actually feel with the combination of high temperature and humidity, was between 90-104 in many parts of the nation, the level of ``great caution.'' In such levels, people may suffer sunstrokes and muscle cramps if exposed to the heat for a long time. Kunsan had 114 of the heat index and Mokpo 105, which are the level of ``danger,'' where the chances of experiencing the symptoms are high. (SITE NOTE: But everything is relative. At the same time this was happening, a heat wave in Oklahoma had temperatures soaring to 115 degrees farenheit (50 degrees C). Having lived in Oklahoma City, the humidity sucked up from the Gulf of Mexico makes the living pure hell. Thus what is in Songtan is rather mild when compared to other places.) The ultraviolet index also soared to more than level nine. The index indicates the degree of ultraviolet rays reaching the ground, and level nine means the rays are so strong that people are at risk of suffering skin ailments. ``As a hot and humid North Pacific anticyclone covers the peninsula, the scorching weather will continue until the middle of this month. Tropical nights are likely to continue for a few days more,'' the weather agent said. Here in Songtan the temperatures hovered around 30 degrees Celsius (86 farenheit) with the humidity at 60 percent. With a ceiling fan in the living room and fan near the bed, it was adequate for lounging and sleeping as our apartment has cross breezes. However, when the breezes stopped, the sweltering heat got to you and in order to sleep, we turned on the air conditioner. The weather would have been exceptionally uncomfortable for apartments next to the hills (Jisan Park or Buraksan Mountain) which block the breezes. The bad news was, "As the rainy season ended later than usual, the North Pacific high atmospheric pressure is expanding belatedly, and this will cause the heat to continue until mid-September." (Source: Donga Ilbo.) This means that the entire month of August will be hell. Though we survived with only fans for most of the time, for other apartments in our complex, the air conditioners were working overtime. The days were exceptionally miserable because of the heat plus humidity. During the day, the artesian spring in the small plaza next to our apartment provided a refreshing way to cool off as the water was ice cold -- or so it felt -- as one tried to beat the heat outside. Our cocker spaniel, Shelly, could only lay under bench panting from the heat. Finally on the evening of the 5th of August, the wind stopped and the apartment became unbearable -- at least to me -- and I turned on the air conditioner. Again I'm pretty sure other Americans were doing the same -- though Korean households would try to suffer through. South Korea's electricity consumption surged to a record high this summer as scorching temperatures caused people to rely heavily on air conditioners and other cooling devices. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said electricity demand set a new high of 55.89 million kilowatts at noon on 8 Aug, then peaked three hours later at 56.16 million kilowatts. At night, all the small restaurants -- and even some of the corner stores -- have round plastic tables set outside for customers who want to get out of their hot apartments. Near our apartment, the favorite spot seems to be a fried chicken restaurant where the tables are always filled at night -- mostly men enjoying fried chicken and cold beer. This is a standard nighttime scene throughout Korea where people feel more comfortable outside in the warm summer months rather than eat inside. A few times we headed over to the restaurant on the corner that served naengmyeon (cold noodles) to cool off. To beat the heat, many people headed to Emart or large stores which were air-conditioned. Major large marts such as Shinsegae E-Mart, Samsung Tesco Homeplus, and Lotte Mart extended their business hours by one or two hours and prepared various events for midnight shoppers. E-Mart extended its opening hours of 30 stores in major cities by an hour and opened them until 12 midnight. E-Mart also changed its music played in the late night stores from Korean and foreign pop songs to beach songs and Latin songs that resemble the summer. Such stores also sold instant food items such as chicken, skewered food, laver rice and sushi, which were formerly sold until 9:00 p.m., but were now available until 10:30 p.m. Meanwhile, summer items like air conditioners, electronic fans, beer, and ice cream were great consumer hits. The beer producers said that the supply of beer increased by 20 or 30 percent in Aug and predicted that such a trend will be maintained for a period of time if the heat persists. As of last month, the sales percentage of LG electronics added 14 percent to the record it held during the same month last year, which was the highest record for the quantity of air conditioner sold. Particularly between July 29 and August 3 when the rains stopped and the heat began, the number of air conditioners sold jumped 350 percent compared to the same period last year. The sales of Hauzen, the air conditioner of Samsung Electronics, tripled in Aug compared to last year. During the week of 18 Aug, the moderate temperatures returned. The worst of the "dog days of summer" had past. The temperatures cooled down so that in the mornings it got to be cool enough for a light blanket. It was a welcome relief. Vacation season came to an end at the same time and most of the beaches along the coast closed on 20 Aug. Out of the 100 beaches nationwide, 98 of them closed down starting on the week of the 13th and the remaining two will cease operations on 27 Aug. EPILOGUE (Aug 2006): (22 Aug 2006) Had a heart attack when I saw my electricity bill for the month. My neighbors' bills (yes, I peeked at their bills in the mailbox to see if my bill was a mistake) were in the 50,000 won range for about 400kw, but mine was in the 300,000 won range for 770kw. Talk about a penalty!!! I expected my usage to be double -- but this is SIX times as much. And NO, I am not going to protest it. In Korea, you can't fight the system and win. Art Galleries (Shinjang Mall) (Aug 2006) Most art galleries handle the tourist art that ends up adorning the walls of the dorms or offices on the base. These are typically of aircraft art or military themes. Also there are the ethnic themes of black Buffalo Soldiers, black folk art themes, and American indian wilderness scenes. Most of the paintings are of the mass-produced landscape or still-life varieties that are inexpensive.  Sesame Art Gallery displaying "tourist" paintings on street There are a few shops that specialize in large-sized framed prints of masterpieces that sell for around $100 -- such as Picasso's. This is inexpensive considering that mail-order framed prints start at $65 for small-size framed prints and $185 and up for large-sized framed prints. Large size unframed posters/prints run between $30-40, while unframed small-medium prints run between $6-10. Add about $20-40 for a custom frame. My daughter and I bought some small unframed prints in the $8-10 range from this shop. However, when you consider cost of framed prints, remember that the Shinjang Mall galleries contain framed oils in the same price range. It all depends on your interior decoration tastes.   Picasso's on Shinjang Mall Many specialize in Korean tourist-type prints of the four seasons theme or Korean Chosun dynasty life styles from kisaengs to farm workers to the farmer dance themes -- such as Universal Art Gallery. The Universal Art Gallery is one of the oldest and most reputable shops on the mall that was opened in 1956 by Mr. Kang Shin-kol. Some of the larger pieces are very nice, but your home decor would have to be oriental for it to blend. Look around as many frame shops also have framed Korean prints for sale -- and truthfully, some of them are of excellent quality.  A few shops specialize in paper art which is very popular in home decorations -- such as Korean Paper Art. There is another shop specializing in paper art at the Main Gate. The paper art also can be found in the concession area in the BX, but there is a significant mark-up. Though the large-size paper art pieces can run up to $250 dependent on the complexity of the subject, they are still inexpensive when one considers the handcraftsmanship involved. What makes paper art unique is the three-dimensional feel of the art -- though some may consider it too "cutesy." I bought a small piece for 15,000 won from Korea Paper Art that I'm quite pleased with as the frame and colors matched another painting I had at the entrance of my apartment. However, what I am primarily interested in when browsing at Shinjang Mall are good-quality original oil paintings or copies of masterpieces in oil -- at reasonable prices. What irks me is when an unscrupulous Korean artist puts his name on a copy of a masterpiece and pawns it off as an original to unsuspecting GIs. A reputable Shinjang Mall gallery will at least leave the name off a copy. Many galleries prefer to paint the more recognizable Van Goghs or Picassos -- and end up giving them a mass-produced feel. Others end up with paintings that look like they were paint-by-numbers. Some of the mass-produced paintings displayed are done in the style one sees demonstrated on the TV painting classes. Of course, I will not even think of buying a black-velvet painting with day-glo colors painted in the Tijuana bullfighter painting tradition. I'm not an educated art critic nor claim to even have a smidgen of artistic sophistication, but I do know enough about BAD art after having bought on impulse a lot of those horrid paintings during my drunken bar-hopping days. There's a lot of bad art out there on Shinjang Mall -- but there's also a lot of good quality work at affordable prices. A few shops have some large exceptionally high-quality oil paintings done by local artists. Unfortunately, they are well out of my price range as these paintings can run from $250 on up. These paintings are usually rare finds amongst the galleries on Shinjang Mall which caters mostly to the lower-end tourist trade. Between the extremes of cheap and expensive, there are bargains in the art galleries at $60 for medium-sized oils to $95-150 for large-sized paintings. However, you have to look carefully to find them. Also you have to bargain with the gallery owners as most are selling them at mark-up prices. The average cost for a large original painting of good quality is around $160, but usually you can bargain over the price. In August, I was looking for abstract art, but it seemed to be out of fashion at the moment -- more suitable for large offices than homes. According to Gallery owners, not many people appreciate abstract art -- perhaps only 3 percent of the customers. Thus the galleries don't handle this style. Then I came upon the Royal Art Gallery on Jungang Market Road (Jungang #300-43, Shinjang 1-dong near the Pacific Hotel -- Phone/FAX: 031-665-6290). What attracted me was its abstract art by one artist -- but what kept me looking was the reasonable prices. It at first appeared deceptively small but was actually a large L-shaped shop with entrances on two different alleys. The Gallery has been open since 2002 in the Jungang Marketplace area. The paintings are stacked against the walls of all different genres of painting styles dealing with oils -- from horrid black velvet art to ethnic themes; from military aircraft to Renaissance masters' copies; from pre-Raphaelite to cubism; from impressionism to portait-from-pictures paintings. Actually the art in the gallery is the work of four artists. Thus the styles of paintings in the gallery run the gamut of tastes. Some of the paintings in the gallery are of the wine-bottle series that adorn the lobby walls of the Challenger Club on base. Many of the paintings appear to be the types suitable for interior decoration of offices -- which is not a bad idea since there is a lot of construction that will be occuring in the near future. There are also a lot of the mass-produced "tourist paintings" that one sees in the other shops on the mall. However, amidst all this clutter are some good copies of masterpieces -- Miro, Chagall, Dali, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, etc. I stop by to browse periodically -- and I think people intentionally hide the pieces they prefer behind the other paintings stacked against the wall so they can buy them later. Especially popular are the Picasso copies from his cubist period -- especially the Harlequin series. The reason I like this art gallery is that the paintings are moderately priced considering the quality ... though the first asking prices can be about $50 above what they may settle for. You can gamble and come back to bargain later -- but the painting may be gone when you get back. After a few visits, I noticed that the good pieces disappear very quickly.   Royal Art Gallery: (L) Original Robert Kim (R) Dali Copies (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) I have bought five paintings from this art gallery that I simply love. One is an abstract original, one is a cubism original and the others are oil copies of masterpieces. I believe the cost for the paintings were very reasonable. However, my tastes may not match those of others, but my theory of art is that a painting must make you feel something -- not simply be a piece of wallpaper to cover a hole on the wall. My idea of art purchases is that if it makes you feel good, buy it.   Paintings on the wall of my home (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) I was especially impressed with some original paintings by Robert Kim. The ones I especially liked were in the art-deco surrealistic style that is regaining popularity in interior decoration, but unfortunately the style of these paintings didn't match the other paintings I have on my walls. These works were very detailed and what I found interesting was how he incorporated the other minature masterpiece paintings into the design and used purple ribbons floating in and out of the backgrounds to turn the group of paintings into sets. Unfortunately, my home is decorated in early Pan-American Airlines. As a compromise, I bought one cubism painting by Mr. Kim that grows on you the more you look at it, but I must admit that it is probably not to everyone's taste. It hangs in my bedroom next to an antique Regulator clock -- and it looks wonderful on the wall. Mr. Kim is usually found doing portraits-from-photos at the entrance of the Royal Art Gallery and speaks English so he can help you find what you're looking for in the art pieces in the gallery.  Robert Kim of Royal Art Gallery (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) September 2006PC Bang Gambling Newest Craze (Jun-Sep 2006) The latest craze has been the appearance of computerized gambling. Many years ago we remember the illegal computerized go-stop machines in arcades that would pay out winnings in 100 won coins. They were in every just about every game room that served adult clientelle -- mostly around red light districts or tourist locations. A few of our friends who ran these game rooms with these machines back then were raided and sent to jail. Of course, the game rooms kept operating under others in the family, but the games finally disappeared around 2000. The problem was the machines was that they were paying out money directly -- thus evading the income tax laws. Some game rooms tried to substitute tokens for the money -- as a guise to exchanging the tokens for "gifts" (or money). This took the excitement out of the gambling and soon the go-stop machines faded away.This left only the authorized legal gambling establishments with slot machines -- but the payouts were so low that most people avoided them. In the old days, it was easy to spot these places as the workers would yell at the top of their lungs when a payout was hit in order to attract customers from the streets. (NOTE: However, for those living near camps or bases, there was always the slot machines at the clubs. Many people ran lucrative side 'businesses' of escorting people on base to play at the NCO/Officer Club annexes -- with one woman at Yongsan finally caught for "escorting" folks to the military lodges on base to gamble. Though the Koreans were supposedly not allowed to play the slots, the Club Managers and base authorities turned a blind eye to this as they earned humonguous profits from the lucrative operations. The base authorities learned their lesson from thirty years ago when they pulled the slot machines out of the clubs in the mid-1970s and suddenly there was no extra revenues to support the clubs. They had to start shutting down many of the freebies at the clubs and the clubs fell on hard times. By the mid-1980s, the slot machines were back in the clubs and again the profits were supporting the operations of the clubs. In Korea, gambling is big business.)  Slot Machines in Adult PC Rooms (Aug 2006) (Korea Times) As Korea entered the "IT" (Information Technology) Age, home computers became cheaper, but internet connectivity was a problem. As a result, "pc bangs" started to pop up near every apartment complex throughout the country. At first strictly for youngsters, it was soon invaded by adults addicted to the complex games offered on the internet servers. "PC bangs" gained popularity with gamers featuring Starcraft, Diablo, and other games that pitted one against another individual -- either with friends in the pc bang or over the internet. By 2000 "PC bangs" or internet cafes were fixtures throughout the county. In 2003 gambling on the internet appeared except that the money was cyber money. It skirted the technicality of having money payouts. Another phenomena appeared in the form of adult-only "pc bangs." In these establishments there were video horse racing with people betting on computerized race results. Though regulated, it provided the opportunity for a criminal element to get involved. This brought the interest of the National Tax Service (NTS). "They earn a lot of money but don't declare it," an NTS official said. Some owners were reported to have said that on good days, they earn 10,000,000 won in profits. Whether you believe the tales of exaggerated profits, it is a fact that the people who engage in PC room gambling are those that can ill-afford to gamble making less than 2 million won a month in earnings. There were around 14,000 adult-only gaming arcades across the country, of which an estimated 11,000 are thought to provide gambling services. These figures were later revised. The NTS stated that adult game arcades numbered 11,000 facilities in 2003, but with an annual increase of over 15 percent the report estimated a total of 20,000 for the present, including unregistered facilities. The scam is that some of the machines are rigged to pay out higher payouts of gift certificates than approved. However, the scam is in the cashing in of the gift certificates. A 500 won fee is charged for each 5,000 won certificate -- or a 10 percent fee. Given the ratio of payouts, if a person started the month with 1,000,000 won, by the end of the month he would have 42,500 won. The certificates are cashed in at illegal exchange booths that are set up by the PC rooms -- thus the profits flow back to the owners. Adult game arcades and distribution of gift certificates were discovered to be dominated by crime organizations, which used the profit to fund illegal activities. The market for adult only game arcades and commercial computer rooms reaches 88 trillion won annually, with tax evasion rates estimated to be 8.8 trillion won. The estimated annual market size of adult game arcades to be 50 trillion won, 36 trillion won for commercial computer rooms, and 2.0 trillion won for illegal casinos, amounting to a total of 88 trillion won. Tax evasion rates from illegal money exchange are estimated to amount to 4.5 trillion won for adult-only arcades, and 4.3 trillion for commercial computer rooms. The ratio of the addictive gambling industry to the total leisure market under the previous administration that approved the nation's only casino resort for Koreans, Kangwon Land, in the face of severe opposition stood at about 27.8 percent in 2000. The ratio jumped to 51.3 percent in 2004 under the present government. It is only in the past year or two that the adult gambling market, previously scaled at W500 billion a year, has snowballed to W30 trillion after businesses were allowed to print gift certificates at random. From September 2002 when the certificates became prizes for gambling games to December 2004, the total price of printed gift certificates did not surpass 400 billion won. However, between August 2005 and June of this year, 23 trillion won worth of gift certificates for video game arcades were printed. Although the government designated 19 kinds of gift certificates including the one that can be exchanged for cultural products, 98. 5 percent of them returned to the companies, which issued them. This means that most of them were used as chips for gambling. Under the new rule every time a gamer earns up to 20,000 points, it could be exchanged for a gift certificate. Under the old rule, gamblers could exchange the money they won with gift certificates at the end of their games, but following the revision of the rule, gamers have been forced to get gift certificates frequently, leading to the excessive issuing of them. The Donga Ilbo reported that on the afternoon of 20 August in front of a gift certificate exchange booth in a backstreet of Jung-gu, Seoul, a 30-something man who played in the nearby gambling adult videogame room "Sea Story," waved 30 yellow gift certificates each worth 5,000 won, earned at the game-room, at the exchanger. The man said, "Ten percent goes to exchange fees, so it is 135,000 won in cash." After counting the gift certificates, he hands the man 135,000 won. The dealer took 500 won per gift certificate as a fee. The 30-something man who received the money hurried to another nearby gambling arcade and immersed himself in more gaming. Gift certificates that should be used in cultural establishments such as theaters, bookstores, or traveling agencies are in fact being used as gambling chips in casinos. The number of counterfeit gift certificates has also greatly increased. According to police, last year only 413 counterfeit 5,000-won gift certificates were found, but this year, until late June, an amazing 49,138 forged gift certificates were discovered. Police consider that arcade owners seeking to cut costs in buying gift certificates used as prizes might be involved in the forgeries. As a matter of fact, since most of the gift certificates are cashed rather than used to purchase products, it is very likely that owners thought that even if forged the chances of being caught were very low. (Source: Donga Ilbo.)   (L) "Seongin PC Game" room in Songbuk-dong with video poker and go-stop (R) "BiBa" Adult PC Room in Shinjang-1 dong (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) By late 2004, the domestic market for video arcade slot machines amounted to two trillion won, according to Korea Game Development & Promotion Institute. However, after only one year, the market increased to four trillion won while the number of arcades with slot machines jumped by 1,800 from 13,159 to 14.998. Under the current law, such establishments are required to limit the maximum betting amount to 20,000 won ($21) at a time and 90,000 won per hour. But some gambling arcades are ignoring these regulations and are providing between 2 million won and 3 million won in prizes to attract customers, NTS prosecutors said. The gambling arcades and 'PC bangs' operated manipulated game machines and illegally offering gift certificates that were exchangeable for cash. The arcades bypass the law by awarding winners gift certificates instead of cash, as South Korea has authorized only one casino for its nationals in Jeongseon, an isolated mountain resort in eastern South Korea, for legal gambling. The cries of outrage over the illegal use of certificates went through the roof, The voucher market started to rapidly freeze, and gift certificates were losing the function of securities as stores refused to accept them -- even culture and movie gift certificates. Suddenly in late August, the voucher market was paralyzed. Most gift certificate issuers were refusing to take refunds. What this meant was the whole certificate use was turned upside down. Gift certificates act as "securities" in that they are prepaid coupons. If gift certificates as a whole lose the function of securities, this could be a huge blow to related industries which use gift coupons as a sales gimmick -- such as book stores, clothing purchases and the film industry.   Adult-only PC Bang near the Express Bus Terminal (July 2006) (Boram O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: This gambling arcade now has only blue on the sign boards and windows -- that happened right after the crack down on arcades. However, they are in still operation as the lights of the signboards are turned on at night.) In Songtan, these adult gambling "pc bangs" (computer rooms) were sprouting up near the "entertainment" areas or where people gathered -- such as near the bus terminal or on Shinjang Mall. These places are usually on the ground floors -- instead of the regular "pc bangs" on the second or third floors of buildings -- however, that is not a set rule. One cannot tell an adult-only PC bang from a regular PC bang until you enter the place. It's pretty obvious that the adult-only PC bangs are engaged in gambling, but you have no warning from the outside on most places. On the newer adult-only "pc bangs" they are easily recognizable by the garish windows with such names as "Wild Safari" or "King Kong." I have also noticed that most of the adult-only places feature the internally-lighted airblown "balloon poles" to advertise. We thought it was rather funny that the editorial in the Chosun Ilbo on 24 Aug railed on about there being 4 adult PC rooms on Uelong Island with a population of only 10,000, while we observed more than ten adult PC rooms within a three-block radius of Shinjang Mall alone. There are a lot more springing up in other areas of this town with a population of around 100,000. We have also heard stories that there are illegal (unregistered) establishments setup in the Shinjang Mall area. Supposedly the police have tried to raid some of these places, but they have been tipped off prior to the police arriving. According to reports, the owners locked the doors and the people inside pretended that no one was there until the police left. Then they went back to business as usual. At least that is the story we've been told.   (L) Burned out Computerized Horse-racing establishment near the Rail Spur on Plaza Road (June 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: The heat of the fire was so intense that the ceiling melted and the glass windows exploded outward. By July the place was being refitted as another virtual horse racing gambling establishment, "Wild West".) (R) Wild West Grand Opening (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) By June 2006, more than 400 people had been arrested after an investigation found several criminal rings linked to illegal gambling services, generating 5.8 billion won ($5 million) in confiscated cash. In July 2006, the National Tax Service began tax audits on 54 gaming arcades and internet cafes suspected of running illegal gambling. The audits came after the Supreme Prosecutor's Office formed a joint investigating team with the police, the NTS and the National Intelligence Service last week to crack down on illegal gambling. The NTS pledged to trace the money flow and find out whether any crime rings were linked to the gambling business, expanding existing tax audits on similar forms of entertainment venues. Finally in Aug 2006, South Korea's prime minister ordered an "immediate expelling" of illegal gambling parlors from South Korea amid a mounting controversy over a giant video arcade chain. She ordered the launching of a full-fledged crackdown and seizure of the machines. It had become a political issue. Suddenly the papers were filled with stories of a man who had lost all his money and who begged for his money back. When the owner refused, he killed the owner in a fit of rage. There was the story of a college student who gambled away his tuition money and then stole more from his parents. There were stories of poor people trying to strike it rich committing suicide after losing all their money. Every newspaper had a different story. Gambling is a social ill, but the ROK government was out to hang someone. One company, Sea Story, dominated about 80 percent of South Korea's 20 trillion won (US$20.9 billion) slot machine-style video arcade market only two years after it opened its first store in 2004. "Owners of lots of speculative gambling game shops are still resisting the seizure of their machines and are stealthily continuing their businesses." one official said. Public criticism of the government has been growing over how Sea Story has thrived although South Korea has strictly restricted gambling. Critics suspected influential government officials and politicians might be behind the fast growth of the arcade company. The Sea Story scandal erupted in Aug as media outlets reported that the sacking of a vice culture minister was linked to his past demand that the government not approve the video gambling games. All kinds of "dirt" was flying around ranging from accusations that President Roh's nephew was involved in influence peddling and allegations of bribes to award the certificate contract to a previously unqualified firm who had no expertise in the business. None had been proved, but the prosecution started raiding offices for documents and seizing computers. Then there were reports that crime families were involved in the gambling operations. According to the reports, Ahn, a middle boss from the Yeonggwang crime family in South Jeolla Province, was in charge of national distribution of H Gift Certificates, the third largest producer of certificates. In addition, the Seobang crime family deputy boss Oh was operating two illegal casinos which generated daily profits averaging 100 to 500 million won. Then the accusations started that the Yakuza was financing the operations of some certificate companies. Things were getting outrageous. Next the police moved in to confiscate bogus gift certificates from manufacturers and distributors in Aug. In one raid, two million copies of gift certificates valued at 50 billion won was seized. The bogus vouchers had been distributed to adult online video gambling shops across the country. The vouchers had become worthless as shops refused to cash them. Accusations again started to fly over the contributions to politicians and influence peddling over the assignment of printing rights for the gift certificates. The companies selected by a government commission reaped windfall profits. The owners of the companies were placed on an international freeze so they could not flee the country. Things started to really get out of hand when the Prime Minister had to step up and "apologize" for the fiasco in August. On 29 Aug Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook apologized on behalf of the Cabinet for the government’s negligence in the rapid growth of the arcade game industry. “The arcade games mushrooming across the nation have wrought devastation on the economy and the livelihood of ordinary people,” Han said before a Cabinet meeting. “I am sorry for the people’s pain and insecurity caused by rampant gambling.” The problem is not the arcades but the failure of the government to address the social problems that make people resort to gambling in the first place. Gaming Arcades to Have Midnight Curfew (Oct 2006) Video-game arcades, slot machine parlors and other adult-only gaming outlets will not be allowed to operate after midnight, according to new regulations. Authorities have been trying to tighten control of the country’s gambling business, which enjoyed quick growth in recent years, with many arcade owners illegally providing cash as gambling payouts. According to new regulations going into effect Oct. 29, which were announced after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, business hours at establishments providing gambling games, which include computer rooms and karaoke bars with game machines, will be limited to the hours between 9 a.m. and midnight. Authorities will not limit the operating hours of gaming outlets that provide content for all ages. Computer rooms providing Internet-based gambling games and adult-only content will be required to put a warning message on the game’s initial page or on the package of the software and install programs to block access by underage users. Electronics companies manufacturing the game machines will have to install software to prevent their products from being reprogrammed for larger gambling payouts, an illegal practice now common at gambling parlors. The new rules come at a time when law enforcement authorities are strengthening their clampdown on the country’s illegal gambling business. State prosecutors have arrested several public officials and businessmen, including Baek Eeek, the director of the cultural media bureau at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and imposed overseas travel bans on more than 100 people. They have been trying to confirm allegations that public officials from the Culture Ministry and its sub-organizations were bribed by local businessmen in exchange for licenses to sell the certificates or to distribute slot machines. The recent gambling scandal first erupted in August when prosecutors indicted the chief executives of the two companies that manufactured and distributed ``Pada Iyagi,'' or ``Sea Story,'' video slot machines. Most of the machines were illegally reprogrammed to allow higher payouts than the legal limit of 20,000 won. ``Pada Iyagi’’ is the country's most popular slot machine game by far with more than 45,000 units sold. Speculation of influence peddling mounted when it was found that Roh Ji-won, one of President Roh Moo-hyun's nephews, worked as an executive of a company acquired earlier this year by Zico Prime, the game’s distributor. UPDATE: November 2006 In Songtan, many of the adult game rooms that sprang up when the boom was on have closed. The game room near the Bus Terminal closed its doors and removed its signs, though the lights were on at night. An adult game room near the Shinjang Mall closed its doors after opening up just before the government restrictions were levied. The large game room at the mall still is in operation. There are rumors that some illegal game rooms are operating behind closed doors on Shinjang mall to skirt the 12 o'clock curfew. This impacted many people in different ways. However, the impression is that many who jumped into the seemingly lucrative gambling business lost their savings. One individual in November attempted to rob a bank after he lost 10 million won in setting up a game room that went bankrupt. No more has been heard in the news about the gambling fever after the government levied its restrictions -- that literally bankrupted all the new game rooms that were attempting to get in on the certificate redemption scam. After a three-month audit, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) on 23 Nov 2006 forwarded to the prosecution a list of 36 people, including former and incumbent government officials, who it said are involved in the video arcade gambling machine scandal, often dubbed ``Pada Iyagi,'' or ``Sea Story''. The 36 people include six former and incumbent officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and 13 officials of the state-funded Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB), which is under the control of the ministry. ``The ministry officials were well aware that the video slot machines could be highly addictive and cause serious social problems, but they neglected their duty to regulate such illegal gambling machine parlors,'' a senior BAI official said in a press briefing. The Roh Moo-hyun administration has been criticized for allowing tens and thousands of illegal gambling parlors, which have devastated the livelihood of low income families, nationwide. (Source: Korea Times.) UPDATE: Feb 2007 153 indicted in Gaming Scandal (Feb 2007) Prosecutors said on 22 Feb 2007 they had arrested 45 people and indicted 108 without detention in connection with an illegal arcade gaming scandal that erupted last year. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office yesterday announced the results of its six-month probe into the "Sea Story" scandal, involving lawmakers, high-ranking government officials, gang members, arcade businesspeople and gift certificate issuers. A popular video slot game, "The Sea Story" was outlawed last year because arcades were found to be rigging the machines to raise betting stakes above the legal limit. Prosecutors then launched extraordinary investigations after realizing many other gaming machines were also operated illegally across the nation. Rep. Kim Jae-hong of the governing Uri Party was recently indicted without detention on charges of receiving 30 million won ($31,000) between last May and June from an arcade businessman in favor of influencing legislation to benefit the game industry. Prosecutors have questioned 2,200 people, brought charges against a total of 153 people for the scandal, and sought to retrieve 137.7 billion won in revenues that were earned through illegal activities. However, prosecutors have cleared Rep. Cho Sung-rai of the Uri Party, former Culture Minister Chung Dong-chea, and Rep. Park Hyeong-joon of the main opposition Grand National Party, of any wrong doing. Park was accused of receiving kickbacks from the same businessman who lobbied Kim, but prosecutors said it was hard to prove that the kickbacks were in return for favors. Prosecutors said in a statement that despite Chung's mismanagement of his subordinates and his role in letting illegal gaming machines spread nationwide, he should not be charged with dereliction of his duty. Chung formerly led the Culture Ministry between July 2004 and March 2006. Prosecutors also judged that Cho had personally invested in gift certificate issuing companies, which distributed vouchers that were illegally used as winning chips to nationwide arcades. In 2005, the government selected 19 companies and allowed them exclusive rights to distribute the gift certificates in gaming rooms across the nation, and officials of 17 companies have received criminal charges. According to the National Intelligence Service, the illegal gambling market amounts to about 8.8 trillion won a year, with 5 trillion won from about 20,000 adult-only arcades, 3.6 trillion won from about 10,000 PC game parlors and 2 trillion won from about 500 illegal casino bars. Also through gift certificates illegally exchanged for cash, the adult-only arcades make 4.5 trillion won a year, along with 4.3 trillion in PC game parlors. It is illegal to exchange gift certificates for cash at the arcades, but the practice is widely carried out as arcade owners receive up to 10 percent of the exchanged amount for a commission. The prosecution declared it would continue to crack down the illegal gaming industry and investigate some politicians and government officials who are suspected of receiving illegal kickbacks. (Source: Korea Herald.) ROK-US Friendship Culture Festival (Sep 2006) The ROK-US Culture Festival was held on the 23-24 Sep 2006 from 10 am to 10 pm. The Songtan Chamber of Commerce stated that an estimated 40,000 people visited the mall over the two day period. It was a resounding success and the businesses are looking forward to an even larger festival next year. Frank Schreier and his wife were at the festival area early in the day on Saturday 23 Sep. He said, "Today and tomorrow from 10 to 10, the 2006 Korean-American Friendship Cultural Festival is being held right outside the main gate of Osan Air Base in the Shinjang shopping mall district. My wife and I walked down there earlier today to exchange some money and I took a few pics of stuff being set up. According to the banner, singer In Soon-i will be performing, although it doesn't mention the time(s)." The pictures he took show that the stalls still not open for business so it was before 10am.   (L) Shinjang Mall Vendor Stalls (R) Main Gate toward Shinjang Mall (23 Sep 2006) (Frank Schreier)   (L) Vendor Stalls (R) Vendor Stalls (23 Sep 2006) (Frank Schreier)   (L) Pirated DVDs (R) Songtan Traffic Police (23 Sep 2006) (Frank Schreier)  Food Stalls (23 Sep 2006) (Frank Schreier) Kalani O'Sullivan arrived at the festival at 7pm on 23 Sep. He stated, "Received a personal email invitation from Kasey Lee (Lee Kyong-chu), President of the Songtan Chamber of Commerce, to attend. However, numerous projects during the day kept me from going to the Mall until about 7 pm. Needless to say, I was embarassed when Kasey shouted my name as I tried to sneak in unnoticed. He was at the front gate area greeting friends. After chastizing me -- with a smile -- for not coming to see his speech, he swiftly went back to glad-handing the important folks and forgot about the small potato folks like me. He sat down to drink with some Korean military vets still wearing their cammies drinking in front of the main gate.  Mr. Lee Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee), owner of Kasey Lee Tailors (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) "And this is what the folks here seem to forget. This festival was NOT for the Americans per se — but for the Koreans to say in a low-key way that they approve of the Americans being here in Korea. It was to say to the Americans — I like you. If you paid attention to the folks on the mall, there were not the great hordes of GIs from Itaewon, but the local folks with their kids, the Korean veteran groups in their faded cammies, and Korean school kids with their friends that packed the mall. "Perhaps I need to remind the folks of how it was in 2002 when the anti-American fever was raging. No one would come near an American — much less attend a Korean-American Friendship Festival. The Americans should look at this festival as not for them — but as a method for the Koreans to say, I don't mind having you in my community. It was a Korean festival to say to the Americans, I approve of you and your base despite what is going on in the political arena. From this standpoint, this festival was a success. "It was much bigger than the one I remember last year. The stage was set up half way up the mall last year, but this year it was all the way down the near the railroad tracks. As far as the foodstands, they are not the regulars, but the folks that make the rounds setting up their stalls at various apartment complexes once a year to have their mini-carnivals. They show up whenever there is a "festival" at the mall. In all, this Festival approximated the typical Korean "Festivals" held throughout the country. "By the time I got there the stage area had been turned over to the customary amateur hour with members from the audience joining in improvised Kareoke singing. Everyone got a chance for their one minute of fame. This is also common in other Festivals around the country.   Amateur Audience Performances at Stage area near railroad tracks (23 Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) "This festival was not for Americans — it was for the Koreans. "As to advertising on base, I don't know much about that, but it seems there wasn't much -- except for the banner at the Main Gate that everyone couldn't miss. However, off-base, the word was out down to the middle-school and high-school kids who were making arrangements to meet their friends and go to the mall. Whether through the local newspapers or internet, the word had gotten out. "I noticed that some of the shops from the Jungang Market Road that miss out on the normal festival crowds had set up shop on the mall too. Saw Mr. Robert Kim from the Royal Art Gallery hawking his paintings in a stall. However, if you were seeking bargains, a festival is NEVER a place to go shopping. This applies in Korea or any Asian country so the bargain hunters were most assuredly disappointed. However, for businesses it is a good way to hand out your name cards and have the people visit your shop later on. "However, I did find a bargain. A year ago I bought a pair of cheap Nico Boco tennis shoes with zippers that make them easy to put on and take off – loved them. But I could never find them again in the shops. Found a pair at the Mall stall for 10,000 won during the festival. "But the complaints by Americans about the "promised" bargains from Americans seems strange to me. At Korean festivals, folks don't bother with buying stuff -- except as an impulse sale. If this festival was geared to attract the Korean populace, they would know better than to announce any sale. At festivals, Koreans just concentrate on eating, drinking and having a good time with friends. This was no different from any other KOREAN festival. I noticed that the Nolbo Restaurant had so much business that they expanded outside and set up portable grills and tables for the business. When I passed by, I noticed the owner, Mr.Shin Chan-ho, outside drinking with his friends. Along the mall the food vendors were serving just about everything that could be imagined in American and Korean foods. They even had the boiled silkworms for sale as a tasty snack -- if you like that sort of food.   (L) Food Stalls near Nolbo Chip Restaurant (R) Food Stalls (23 Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) "If the Koreans are with their families, they buy the kids trinkets and junk. Like any carnival in the states, the kids are pestering their parents to buy them all the assorted junk -- and most parents will indulge their kids on this one occasion. Kids were everywhere with toys with spinning lights or bouncing stuffed lizards on a wire. For the first time on the mall, I saw a cartoonist to render caricatures. Mostly GIs and their girlfriends were lined up for this attraction.   (L) Beggar Showon a side alley (R) Beggar Show with man dressed as woman beggar (23 Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) They even had the beggar show that appeals to Korean crowds — and then after the show, they sell their snake-oil cures to the gathered crowds. They usually also sell hard sugar candy that is a traditional confection from the olden days. The performances usually features a man dressed as a woman beggar in a white hanbook top with multi-colored patches over it with a black skirt. These performances are quite entertaining.  Vendor and Game Stalls near Railspur (23 Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) "It all seems so ironic with what is going on in the political arena as everyone awaits the results of the Oct SCM. However, I think Kasey Lee and all the businesses did a great job in attracting the Korean folks of the Songtan area to come to the mall to a Festival pointedly marked as Korean-American Friendship. I would take it as a compliment to the Americans of Osan AB that the Korean folks are saying in a low-key way that they don't mind having you as neighbors — without any of the political statements getting in the way. October 2006Chusok (Oct 2006) The nine-day Chusok break -- for those that decided to not work on 2 Oct and 4 Oct -- meant the folks left Seoul early for the country. During Chusok about 60 percent of the country heads back to their ancestral homes -- mostly in the country. Some started early but others decided to head out on the 3rd of Oct. During the holiday, a daily average of 6.5 million Koreans are moving to or from their family homes. Even Shinjang Mall shut down for Chusok on Friday, 6 Oct. My daughter and I went down there to shop for some patches for her suitcase and found almost all the shops closed down.Banks shut over Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving between 5-8 Oct (Thurs-Sun), with most department stores closed on 6-7 Oct (Fri-Sat) and superstores on Friday. Customers could still use ATMs to withdraw cash, but there could be cash shortages in some parts of the nation as the holiday was long and there was insufficient staff to fill ATMs. Lotte, Hyundai and Shinsegae department stores were to remain open on 5 Oct (Thurs), close on 6-7 Oct (Fri-Sat) and open again on 8 Oct (Sun) from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Large discount stores including E-Mart, Samsung Tesco Home Plus except some branches and Lotte Mart closed only on Friday. However, all the stores are closed except some smaller markets. If one goes to Seoul over Chuseok, it is dead, dead, dead. The only plus is that the streets are empty as everyone has left for the country. For us my wife's brother (eldest son) lives in Incheon so there was some discussion of whether we should go up there just for the morning ancestral bowing ceremony -- eat and then we head back to the house here in Songtan. Then my brother-in-law would head to Pyeongtaek because his wife's family is here down near Anjung. Seemed kind of a waste. In years past, we went up there mostly because of the parents, but they are all gone now. In the end, we decided to bypass it this year. We'll have my brother-in-law come here instead. My sister-in-law will stay with her parents in Anjung and my brother-in-law and nephew will stay with us. My nephew stays up all night watching DVDs when he's here. The wife started cooking the ox-tail soup and Korean pancakes and stuff two days earlier. The fridge was stuffed full with fruits (melons, apples, pears) and all kinds of Korean foods -- for just five people. The only thing I hate about Chusok is we have Korean leftovers (chapchae, kalbi and ox-tail soup) until it's all gone.  Chusok Table Chusok Table The only problem with the Chusok table is you have so many rules to follow. We won't have it this year, but millions of people around the nation had their tables set up. The Chosun Ilbo had a nice piece on how to set up the table. One familiar seasonal sight is of families squabbling over the exact positioning of fruit and meat while setting out the ritual table in the morning. To make matters worse, there is no single way to do it right, as it varies from region to region, family to family. But some iron principles apply, and here they are:Tragedy in Pyeongtaek during Chusok There was tragedy on the Pyeongtaek Bridge on 3 Oct when a pileup ended up killing 11 people. The pileup occurred at around 7:50 a.m. on a highway bridge near the city of Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers southwest of Seoul, due to heavy fog and excessive speed, police officers said. A 25-ton truck rear-ended a 1-ton truck on the West Sea Grand Bridge on the West Coast Expressway, triggering the pileup and sparking fires in 20 of them. The area was foggy and visibility was around 100 meters at the time of the accident. The following is from the Korea Times on 3 Oct.
December 2006Cold Snap Hits (Dec 2006) Biting cold winter conditions have descended on the country, with Seoul’s morning temperature on 3 Dec dipping to - 8.5 degrees Celsius (-22 F) and in Daegwallyong reaching - 14 degrees (-25.5 F). With the wind-chill factored in, Seoul was reduced to -11.9 degrees C (-24.3 F) and Daegwallyong - 22.8 degrees C (-30.4 F). By 4 Dec a morning low of -7 degrees (-21.6 F) and daytime temperatures holding at around 3 degrees (-19.4 F) in Seoul. By region, morning temperatures were - 16 degrees in Daegwallyong, - 14 in Cheolwon, - 11 in Chuncheon, - 8 in Suwon and Chongju, minus 7 in Daejeon, minus 5 in Gwangju and Daegu, and minus 1 in Busan, blanketing the nation in subzero discomfort.We pittied the vendors on Shinjang Mall and elsewhere sitting in the biting cold. We went to the BX on Saturday and dressed warmly, but it was not enough. Went back to the closet and got out the heavy sweaters, earmuffs and wool overcoats. Even with this, we were shivering while shopping for Xmas knick-knacks at the Shinjang Mall. Our dog, Shelly, who loves to accompany us to the Mall, ran outside, started shivering and headed back to our front door to get back into the warm apartment. Who says that dogs are dumb animals?   Dongbu Apt Light Dusting of Snow (4 Dec 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Along the streets, the vendors making "fish cakes" (adzuki bean filled, fish-shaped pastries) and udong (fish-cake on a stick) were doing a brisk business as they set up shop near bus stops. Everyone on the streets were bundled up -- except for the fashionable (but crazy) young women in their mesh-stockings, high-top boots and leather miniskirts/hot pants. (NOTE: This is a Korean phenomena that hot pants and mini-skirts did not sell well in summer, but sales jumped off the charts during the start of the winter season.) The Korea Meteorological Administration said, “A cold continental high pressure system has expanded, bringing typical cold winter weather." On 5 Dec, rain or snow was expected to fall, mainly in north Gyeonggi Province and on 8 Dec light rain was expected in the southern regions. From 6 Dec, temperatures were expected to return to seasonal average. Another Cold Snap (Dec 2006) The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast on 12 Dec that the relatively warm weather would continue nationwide until 14 Dec thanks to a low, but it will start snowing or raining from 15 Dec and bitter cold will continue until the following week. Morning temperatures in Seoul will stay above zero until 15 Dec but will fall to -2 degrees Celsius on 16 Dec and to as low as -7 degrees on 17 Dec, when temperatures will remain below zero during the day. Heavy snows fall on 17 Dec The Korea Meteorological Administration said up to 25 centimeters of snow fell between late on 16 Dec until early 17 Dec. Seoul reported 12.4 centimeters of snow, as many other parts of the country were under heavy snow warnings. Up to 20 domestic flights connecting Seoul with the southern resort island of Jeju were cancelled. Outbound International flights leaving Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul were also delayed by up to an hour. Several highways, especially in mountainous regions, were closed for safety reasons. Cars on some highways running along the western part of the country were forced to slow down, moving at a speed of 30 to 40 kilometers per hour. Along Route 1, the traffic was very sparce In Songtan, the snow fell until the trees were covered with about two feet of snow giving everything a surrealistic feel. Soon the kids woke up and were outside making snowmen. One snowman in the parking lot could be seen to be made by American kids and it was a "three-baller" -- while Korean snowmen are "two-ballers". The kids did an exceptional job with brooms for arms and various objects for eyes and buttons. Later in the afternoon some Korean kids were making the traditional Korean snowmen in the back of our apartment -- and having a ball. The bad thing was that our dog refused to go outside to do her business and the white stuff was too thick (up to her sides) -- and she doesn't like cold.   Songtan First Heavy Snow (16 Dec 2006) (Frank Schreier)   Songtan First Heavy Snow (16 Dec 2006) (Frank Schreier) By late morning, the snow stopped and I decided to take my daughter and her friend -- who stayed overnight -- to the base Food Court for pizza lunch about 12 o'clock. It turned out to be a bit of a problem trying to back out of the spot because the car's tires kept spinning on the loose-packed snow as I tried to reverse. After a few tries, finally got it out. The off-base roads weren't too bad and there weren't many cars on the road. Got to the base, but then we found out that the Osan AB roads were "condition red" -- meaning no vehicular traffic on base. The daughter was a bit put out as there was really nothing to do on a Sunday with everything snowed in. According to someone on the internet, the gate opened around 2pm -- just our luck. The trains to Songtan station had no problems as my brother-in-law and his family came down by train in the afternoon. Saved us a trip up to Seoul lugging my nephew's Christmas presents. Though the snow remained on the ground all day, the major roads were pretty well cleared by late afternoon. End of Year Cold Snap (Dec 2006) Cold winter weather swept the nation in the days before New Years. Temperatures plunged to the lowest since the beginning of 2006, with morning lows at -11 degrees Celsius in Seoul on 29 Dec. Morning lows were the lowest in Daegwallyeong with -19 degrees and Chuncheon with -14 degrees Celsius, followed by Daejeon with -11 degrees, - 8 degrees in Daegu, and -6 degrees in Gwangju and Busan. The wind chill factor made the weather feel even worse. On 29 Dec my daughter went with her friends to the Noraebang (Song Room) in the afternoon as winter break started, but when she returned at about 7:30, she sat on the floor wimpering. I wondered what was the problem. It seems the bus ride wasn't the problem -- it was waiting for the bus and the walk from the bus terminal in the wind. Her face, hands and feet were numb. I had been out a few minutes before and walked down to the bank and the cold was definitely biting cold. Shinjang Mall   (L) Shinjang Mall across from Main Gate (R) Shinjang Mall in evening (2006) (unk)  Shinjang Mall (Jul 2006) (unk) Songbuk Farmer's Market (Achim Morning Market)   (L) Songbuk Farmers' Market (R) Garlic for sale (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Produce and Garlic for sale (R) Chili peppers and produce for sale (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Cabbage, Turnips and Produce for sale (R) Green onions, leeks, cucumbers and produce for sale (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Road near what used to be a Bus Depot (R) Road leading up hill to Jwadong Methodist Church (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Songbuk Market: Old side road cut in 1978 (R) Taxi Parking area leading from Mokchon Pedestrian Underpass (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) MSR-1 Across from Old Police Station (R) Street across from Police Box (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Structures in Shinjang-dong Area   (L) Circa 1960s houses near the Kyongbu railroad tracks in what was "Pink Town" area (R) Circa 1960s house in Shinjang 2-dong next to beginning of railspur. (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Old Plaza Shopping Center along railspur showing Catholic Church on hill in background (R) Circa late 1960s transite roof with welded steel braces in Jungang Market place. (NOTE: Clear plastic panels in roof added in 1970s.) (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  (L) Shinjang 1-dong alley in Jungang Market area (R) Alleyway end of Jungang Market Road showing circa 1980s multistory concrete structures (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Shinjang 2-dong alley leading to overpass (R) Alleyway next to overpass with stairs from overpass (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Scenes from Milwal-dong Perimeter near Mustang Village-Commissary   (L) Milwal-dong New Road over hill near Perimeter Fence; (R) Milwal-dong looking south to Hill 180 Gate and Rhee Family Grave Site with Mustang Village perimeter fence to right   (L) New Road looking down on Commissary; (R) 1960s mudwattle farmer's house with stucco coating and hondol heating. Transite roof and kitchen to left with living quarters on right. Notice chimney flues patched with concrete. Scenes from Milwal-dong - Seomiri - Hill 180 Gate Area   (L) Milwal-dong Looking at Shinjang 2-dong; (R) Milwal-dong looking south to Seojong-ni   (L) Milwal-dong toward Capital Hotel; (R) Seomiri Construction abuts Osan AB Perimeter Wall   (L) Seomiri Looking to Hill 180 Gate (Notice Mudang (Fortune Teller) Bamboo Pole with Red Flag); (R) Seomiri Looking to Hill 180 Gate   (L) Seomiri Looking toward Seojong-ni; (R) Seomiri Looking west to Hill 180 Gate Road   (L) Just Outside Old Hill 180 Gate looking South; (R) Hill 180 Gate now closed and barricaded   (L) Lodge outside Hill 180 Gate (R) Apartment complex outside Hill 180 Gate fallen on hard times (July 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Hill 180 Gate intersection looking south toward Pyeongtaek; (R) Hill 180 Gate intersection looking southeast toward Seojongni   (L) Hill 180 Gate looking west toward Makumni; (R) Hill 180 Gate intersection looking west toward Makumni and Kumgakri.   (L) Makumni Looking east toward Hill 180 Gate; (R) Makumni entrance. OSAN AB EVENTSCommander, 51st Fighter Wing, Osan AB: Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynes Jr., July 8, 2005 -- June 15, 2007January 2006Burst Water Pipe Temporarily Drains Osan Water Supply (Dec 2006-Jan 2006) An old underground water pipe that ruptured at Osan Air Base on Friday night drained about a half day's supply from the base water system and left some areas with little or no water. The pipe that broke around 11:30 p.m. 30 Dec 2005 drained the base water supply of from 750,000 gallons to 1 million gallons. The base normally consumes from 1.5 million to 1.9 million gallons of water daily. The pipe measured 8 inches in diameter and probably was about 40 years old. The broken pipe was part of an older underground system that over the past four years gradually has been replaced. It was supposed to have been shut off and disconnected from the newer system but for some reason had not been. (SITE NOTE: The biggest danger to the base water system is that when the water drains out leaks occur in older pipe joints causing other breaks. However, as it is winter after an extended period of temperatures below freezing, these breaks will go unnoticed as ice seals the leak. The extent of the damage will not be seen until the spring thaw.)It broke at a point near the base operations building near the flight line. As thousands of gallons drained from the base water supply, water pressure dropped, affecting many on the north side of the base area. Other locations had water but at too low a pressure for normal use, he said. The officer and noncommissioned officer dormitories, Turumi Lodge, Officers Club and the Osan Shopping Mall food court had water pressure reduced to the extent that they could not operate normally for portions of the day on 31 Dec 2005 until restored at 6 p.m. But even with the break repaired, airmen worked into Sunday to return the base's water supply to proper volume. Airmen and civilians from the engineer squadron worked 24-hour shifts to fix the problem. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Actually this type of pipeline rupture was also occurring downtown, but on a smaller scale because of the below-freezing temperatures. Water pipes under the streets were rupturing due to the pipes freezing from the unseasonably cold weather -- the lowest in 30 years. Just outside the main gate, the traffic was disrupted as the water main broke in the middle of the street. To a lesser extent, water pipes froze everywhere, but no major water disruptions were reported in the Songtan area. Even in apartments with the washers on the unheated verandas, the water in the hoses froze. Black Marketing The following is excerpted from our article in Dec 2005. Because of the Solnal Holidays from Jan 28-30, it has relevance as Korean people buy their kalbi and ox-tail for the holidays -- and look to the commissary for bargains. The Stars and Stripes ran a two-part series by Teri Weaver starting on 18 Dec 2005 on the updated system to combat black marketing in Europe and Korea using computerized software adapted from the homeland security. Computer codes once developed to predict terrorist activities and illegal stock market trades have been adapted to identify people who buy popular black market items at the 12 commissaries throughout South Korea, U.S. Forces Korea officials say. The program is called CASTAR, for computer-assisted sales tracking and reporting. It compares the techniques of former black marketers "those who have been caught by military and Korean officials with the habits of today." 48,600 commissary shoppers to look for potential crimes. The black marketing of U.S. goods outside of American bases dates back to the Korean War, and both countries have worked for years to catch Americans and Koreans who skirt government fees and customs laws by reselling items on the streets. USFK declined to estimate the volume of dollars involved in the illicit trade. Many black marketed goods, like sports equipment, electronics, furniture, clothing and alcohol, are from stores operated by AAFES, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. To date, AAFES lacks the same sophisticated program now available to South Korea commissaries, which are run by a separate agency. It's the popular food items like American beef, cheese, vitamins, baby food and California rice that come from the commissaries. Military officials believe they now have a leg up on catching grocery-shopping offenders, and already investigators are looking more closely at some people because of the program, officials said.
Commissary Entrance ( Retired Activities Office: Facilities, Phones and Photos ) What are the limits?Stars and Stripes article by Teri Weaver continued on 19 Dec 2005 dealing with the AAFES goods which were much harder to track than the Commissary. "While a new computer program at U.S. commissaries throughout South Korea can pinpoint potential black market activity on a daily basis, similar systems at the U.S. military's exchange stores remain a handwritten and data input affair, U.S. Forces Korea and exchange officials say. Instead of digital records of each exchange shopper's purchases at the cash register, military investigators rely on sales summaries, paper receipts of popular black market items and store workers' watchful eyes to catch suspicious buyers, according to USFK." When it comes to beer purchases, the system is even weaker, officials acknowledge. Without a computer system, the "Investigators must look at gross receipts and use formulas to spot spikes in sales. They must track down the original purchase data and narrow down the cash register, cashier and time of purchase. Then they must find the customer, Andin explained." SEE Dave's ESL: Shopping Guide to Korea for interesting info on blackmarketing and regular shopping from an expatriate consumer's perspective. March 2006USAF Officer Convicted for Leaking Classified Information to Russian Women The following article appeared in the Stars and Stripes on 8 Mar 2006. What is unusual about this story was that though we had heard so many stories of the poor Russian bar girls from poverty stricken areas who had been supposedly duped into coming to Korea, this is the first time we had heard about active intelligence agents amongst them. Back in 2003, we had commented that there was a security problem in the USFK that allowed contact with the Russians as they were still from a "communist" country -- and under regulations, ANY contact with these foreign national "juicies" had to be reported. (See Off-Base Issues: Prostitution and A-Town .) This was a big dilemma as in the 2d ID area, they were allowing these bar girls to marry GIs which made a sticky mess if you pulled out the book. Thus the USFK simply ignored the situation. Now we see that it could get even stickier as these "intelligence" agents are now married to GIs and living on military installations.Though the case may seem to end with his conviction, the questions raised are those we raised in 2003 over the compromise of information to third-nation nationals. Will this be followed up? Will this turn into a full-blown scandal? It has the potential to -- dependent on the type of information was compromised and the current status of the women involved -- especially the former KGB agent still on the loose in Korea. Supposedly the Russians were deported in July 2004 and we believed the problem was solved, until we moved to Songtan in Oct 2004 and the first night, we observed Russians on the streets after curfew. (We were checking into a hotel after driving up from Kunsan.) In Kunsan, they were all sent home. Then after we found a place to live, we noticed that there were many Russians -- mostly from the Vladivostok area -- working on the dairy and poultry farms in the area. The Russians are still very much around...though in lesser numbers.
  AFOC Gate Static Displays: F-4D and F-5E (Mar 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   AFOC Gate Static Displays: F-86, T-33, UH-1 and Nike-Zeus (Mar 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) April 2006Osan Helicopter Hospital Run According to the Stars and Stripes on 22 Apr 2006, a South Korean woman having a heart attack on an island off South Korea’s west coast was flown to medical treatment on 19 Apr by a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk assigned to Detachment 1, 33rd Rescue Squadron. The helicopter took off from Osan Air Base to Yeong Pyeong Do to pick up the 74-year- old woman and flew her to a South Korean naval base in Incheon, where she was hospitalized. At 2:52 p.m., they got the word to go. By 3:31, they put down, got the woman aboard, and were in the air again, headed for the naval base at Incheon, which they reached at 4:08 p.m. By 4:23 p.m. they were back on the flight line at Osan.According to the newspaper, "The detachment drew the rescue assignment because its HH-60s make it the only peninsula unit equipped to handle the kind of low visibility the forecasters thought the pilots might face. Forecasters had no weather data for the specific site but, based on what they did have for an area 30 or 40 miles from the island, they thought visibility there could be very low, maybe even zero. Based on that, authorities concluded the mission might best be passed to Osan’s HH-60s, which have special equipment for poor visibility and other bad weather conditions." Those three features are a special “weather radar,” a cockpit instrument display that helps pilots navigate in limited visibility and an “altitude hold system” that allows the aircraft to keep to a steady altitude over land or water. (SITE NOTE: Under the current tasks to be handed over to the ROK was the rescue missions, but the ROK still do not have the Pave Low HH-60G which is actually special ops -- not rescue.) Although stationed at Osan Air Base, Detachment 1 is part of the 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. Geeslin identified those aboard as Capt. Chris Spindler, pilot; Capt. James Humphrey, co-pilot; Tech. Sgt. Thomas Bielawski, flight engineer; Tech. Sgt. Erin Thorson, aerial gunner; two pararescue team personnel, team leader Staff Sgt. Bembry King and team member Senior Airman Christopher Darrow; and Lt. Col. Lee Harvis, flight surgeon. May 2006Calrose Rice Fails to Impress Koreans (May 2006) In the early 1980s-1990s, Calrose rice on the black market from the commissaries was very popular in Korea because of its low price. For this reason, when the rice market opened was forced open after a ten year delay -- and then the ROK renegotiation to get an extension before full opening -- the ROK feared that the Koreans would flock to buy the cheaper rice. The rice farmers attempted to block the off-loading of ships at Pusan. However, the fears did not pan out blaming the poor taste of the rice for Koreans not flocking to buy Calrose.Calrose rice, imported from California since March, has failed to penetrate South Korean distribution channels. No large discount chain, such as E-Mart and Home Plus, sells the U.S. rice. Few restaurants offer the U.S. rice despite lower prices compared to Korean products. Furthermore, under import agreements, excluding U.S. soldiers here, it is not allowed to be used to feed students or soldiers. The Korean government is also not allowed to use the U.S. rice for aid to North Korea. Large discount stores like E-mart avoid bidding for the US rice for fear of possible boycotts among consumers and farmers.(SITE NOTE: We believe most Koreans stayed away from buying it because it was politicized so much that buying it would have been tantamount to being anti-Korean. For a restaurant, it would be a death-knell for business.) But a majority of netizens argue the poor sales are attributable to imports of ``polished’’ rice. Netizens say there is no doubt U.S. rice is tasteless as it spends too much time in shipping. However, others say it is the same as Korean rice. Most agree that there will be a split market where there will be the inexpensive import rice and expensive domestic rice. (Source: Korea Times.) (SITE NOTE: In our personal opinion, the Calrose rice does taste "different" from Korean rice -- but we buy it in the commissary because the cost is much less (especially with the 50 cents off coupons). Also we have to wash the rice almost four or five rinses before the water is reasonably clear. (If you don't the rice tastes starchy.) In addition, the quality varies from bag to bag with some coming out ok, but other appear to have been stored for ages and doesn't tastes as well. (SITE NOTE: You can tell when the grains are sometimes cracked indicating that moisture had entered the bag.) South Korea's state-run agricultural marketing corporation said on 4 Jun 2006 that it would implement measures to ensure imported rice is better received by local consumers. On-line auctions for imported rice will be conducted from twice to three times a week from 7 June, the Agriculture and Fisheries Marketing Corp. said. It will also allow restaurants with annual sales exceeding 5 billion won (US$5.27 million) to directly buy imported rice. On 26 Jul 2006 it was reported that the government had finally gotten rid of all the first shipment of Calrose rice in its online bidding. RUMOR: 16 nabbed for Black Marketing (May 2006) According to the Korean wives grapevine, in the first week of May the Army CID -- NOT the USAF OSI -- arrested 16 Koreans who bought foodstuffs and then proceeded directly downtown for resale of the goods to Korean restaurants. Supposedly the CID trailed the people and waited until after the transaction had taken place before they made the arrests. Most assuredly the ROK authorities were involved as well, but they were not mentioned in the rumors. (SITE NOTE: We suspect that these individuals were reported to the "BlackMarketHotline@korea.army.mil" which is Army CID -- not USAF OSI.) From earlier warnings on this subject on this site, the people probably were selling hot dogs and meats which are expensive off-base. (This is only supposition but these folks were most likely using the Shoppette at the BX because the purchases are not monitored. That would be the reason the people had to be followed as there is no "paper trail" that using the commissary would entail as it totals all purchases and can break it down to items purchased.) However, most Korean housewives agree that the profit potential from such black market dealings remain so small that it isn't worth the risk. Unlike in years past, the profits are so small on such deals that it just isn't worth the time, effort, gas and trouble. The black marketeers have "wised-up" and us the AAFES stores for mainly beer and liquor purchases that end up on the black market. On some of the Osan area blogs, the people have complained that the black marketeers at Osan AB appear at the base shoppette in the early morning and load up with goodies. They complain that the same individual(s) appear EVERY DAY and the bloggers have reported them to authorities. However, according to the bloggers, there has been no action. One instance, is: Now - I'm not going to make any accusations because I don't really know how thoroughly USFK investigates black marketing but get this: Every morning when I get to work at 6:30, I go to the food court at the exchange to buy myself an orange juice. On my way out, I stop by the shopette to check out what new DVDs they have and I often see the same individuals with shopping carts loaded to the top with wine, beer, candy, food, and other items - at 6:30 in the morning! I know they're black marketing, the employees know they're black marketing, and the other shoppers know they're black marketing. I've even called ration control and reported it and have gone so far as to give a description of the individuals, their car, and their vehicle license number, yet I still see them doing the same thing again and again.In response to complaints, bloggers receive the standard horse-manure that the people involved have authorized ration cards and can make the purchases. The bucket of worms is that if there was black marketing involved in the shoppette, it would involve BX employees and if this has been happening EVERY DAY, the chances are that it involves upper-level management as well -- meaning American AAFES employees -- at least being aware of the facts, but opting not to take action because of the sale volume involved. Response I got when I called it in once was “They’re not black marketing until they transfer it off post and start selling it. What you see are authorized patrons shopping, and that’s not something we can stop.” If DECA and the commissaries can track each stick of butter I’ve bought in the last eight years, AAFES and the PXs could track the entry-level black marketers. The big guys (stuff goes out the back door, trucks get hijacked, etc) won’t get stopped that way, but the old ladies and the spouses will. But as you know, AAFES is in business to move product out the front door, so that’ll never happen. (Source: Response at Lost Nomad.) (See Stars and Stripes, Dec 2005.) Black Marketing in Korea In 2005, military investigators began creating a database to constantly compares normal shopping trends with those pointing to black marketing. For example, the program can select the shopper that might be buying hot dogs several times a week without ever buying hot dog buns. Analyzing such data produced that estimate that 9.4 percent of all commissary sales may be related to black marketing. Still, Andin said, it’s just a model, one way to understand how goods get from on-base grocery stores to off-base markets. The Stars and Stripes said, "More than 9 percent of all grocery sales at U.S. military bases in South Korea could be feeding the black market, according to a military analysis using computer projections. A recently developed computer program compares a relatively small number of suspicious shoppers — 117 — with the regular shopping habits of the almost 50,000 people with authorized access to U.S. commissaries here. Overall projections based on the comparisons show an estimated 2 million pounds of short ribs, 1 million individual hot dogs, a quarter-million packages of cheese and tens of thousands of other goods could be leaving U.S. commissaries yearly for a black-market feast. The analysis estimates up to $7.2 million of items sold in 2005 could be “excessive shopping,” the term military officials use as a possible indicator of black-market activity. Those items could have a street value of up to $20.4 million, according to the data." The data comes from a new computer system built with Homeland Security technology that lets investigators study the shopping habits of everyone with access to the peninsula’s 12 Defense Commissary Agency stores. Beer and other alcohol sales make up most of the black-market sales off-base. The items come from AAFES stores and shoppettes lacking the sophistication to track electronically the quantity, inventory and amount of each purchase of each shopper. The worldwide system AAFES is working on to do this will take years, officials have said. The following is an extract from the article: The numbers are beginning to add up June 2006Doolittle Gate closed to incoming traffic According to the Stars and Stripes on 11 June, motorists no longer can enter Osan Air Base through the Doolittle Gate. Instead, since June 5, commercial vehicles such as those driven by South Korean contractors must sign in at the Doolittle Gate, then drive to the Beta Gate (aka Bravo Gate) and enter the base there.The Doolittle Gate now is open only to vehicles leaving the base between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. It remains open 24 hours a day to pedestrians, though servicemembers still are subject to curfew restrictions. The Beta Gate will be open to inbound traffic from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and open to outbound traffic from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. The commander of the 51st Security Forces Squadron, Lt. Col. Randall Richert said, "We're trying to create a faster traffic flow, as well as provide better inspection capability," he said. Osan's main and Air Force Operations Command (AFOC) gates continue to be open to two-way traffic. And the AFOC Gate now operates 24 hours a day. The main gate hours are unchanged. Officials plan to close the Doolittle gate, except for the visitor sign-in office, in November. Officials aim eventually to build a new visitor center at the Beta site, as well as a large parking lot and vehicle holding area, a dedicated outbound lane, a traffic reject lane and a gatehouse, among other improvements. Richert said the decision to route commercial vehicles through the Beta Gate was aimed partly at reducing the long lines of vehicles that tended to form outside the Doolittle Gate as they waited for security checks. It also aids base security because the Beta Gate is equipped with a search pit that allows security personnel to more thoroughly search a vehicle -- including its underside, a feature the Doolittle Gate lacks. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) South Korean $6.4M Artifact Plan Stars and Stripes on 19 Jun 2006 reported that South Korea pledged about $6.4 million toward a multi-year plan to search for historical artifacts on more than a dozen U.S. and South Korean military bases throughout the peninsula, according to the Korea Cultural Heritage Administration. (SITE NOTE: In Korea, a "pledge" does NOT hold much weight. Like in the US, the "pledge" means that the project is on the books, but can remain unfunded indefinitely.) The project, to run through 2011, will survey almost 8,000 acres of land U.S. Forces Korea now uses, according to the administration. The surveys will rely on visual investigation rather than excavating. The U.S. military will not pay for any of the five-year project but will continue to help with the surveys and will coordinate with Korea's Ministry of National Defense and cultural administration to provide the surveyors on-base access. U.S. bases to be explored this year are Kunsan, Osan and Suwon air bases, camps Humphreys, Carroll and Walker and Chinhae Naval Base. South Korean bases also up for surveying this year include the U.S. portions of Daegu and Gwangju air bases, plus four other Korean military bases. (SITE NOTE: The bases were required to submit a historical impact report to the Ministry of Culture back in 2002. We were contacted to assist with veteran contacts for the tasking. All the USAF bases were required to submit such a report. However, now the ROK is going to do their own survey from a Korean perspective. We warn how the US Embassy was blocked from moving to a new location because of the "cultural survey" than had not excavated the site -- with only supposition that there were relics below the surface. BASES BEWARE!!!! This historical survey was supposed to be done at Camp Humphreys on the land that was to be used by that base. If the survey "discovers" something, there may be many delays. BEWARE!!!) October 2006Osan AB Air Power Day (14-15 Oct 2006) There's a sure-fire way for a USAF retiree who has worked on aircraft to feel old in a hurry. Just attend an Airpower Day. On 15 Oct, our family went to the Air Power day at Osan AB -- my wife and I through the Main Gate, while my daughter and her Korean friend through the Bravo Gate. After struggling to find the right gate to enter, we met up with my daughter on the flightline. There was a lot of people who had set up their lounge chairs under the wings of the aircraft or had them set up next to the taxiways.There was the standard C-5B with its canards on the wings and painted olive drab. Outside were the long lines of Koreans waiting to get a look inside. My mind flipped to the old days with the C-5As at that time painted white with aluminum gray. I remember one winter in Yokota sliding out on my belly on top of the T-tail to replace the CDPIR (which I don't know if they even have nowadays) -- without the safety backpack and only the straps tied to the ladder just in case I started to slide off the T-tail to the ground 65 feet below. I wondered if the young folks today do the same stupid stuff to get the mission off the ground. I'm sure they do...but they'll have to wait a few years before they can tell their war-stories.   Flightline (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Flightline (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) C-5B (R) C-130 (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The old Herky-jerk C-130 on display was the same story. What a grand old bird!!! Does anyone remember "Klong-hopper Airlines"? Worked on most of the versions from ABCCC to trash haulers to gunships. Looked about the inside and the hardware seemed the same, but the electronics seemed to be different. Being ALC-qualified and CUT-trained in tire-kicker duties, that bird hauled me all over Southeast and Northeast Asia. A legendary aircraft. The birds may have changed, but I'm sure the dedication to the mission by the folks who maintain those aircraft hasn't. The NAVY also had their EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft on display -- but no ladders to let the folks see inside the cockpit. The 35th FW F-16 Wild Weasels are nice, but the EA-6B is the one that will supports the Marines during the ground phases and the Navy/Marine strike aircraft that will be leveling North Korea if a war breaks out. On the taxiway was the F-14 Tomcat beside an F-16 Wild Weasel aircraft from the 35th FW at Misawa.   (L) 35th FW F-16 Wild Weasel and F-14 Tomcat (R) ROKAF A-37 Black Eagle Aerobatic Team (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) But the main birds to me were the ROKAF aircraft on static display. The turbo-prop super-trooper was a nice model to look at. On display was the new ROK AT-50 Golden Eagle that the ROK wants to sell as an inexpensive export trainer-fighter, but everyone else seems to have come out with cheaper models. Also on display was the KT-1 prop trainer that did some aerobatics in the airshow -- though not much there. Of course, the KF-16C was on display. Unfortunately, I have never been a believer in single-engine aircraft for the mountainous terrains of Korea and always considered the F-16 a "tinker toy" -- though it is a formidable weapon system. The reason the ROK selected the F-16 back in 1989 was the idea of getting technology transfer to start their own aircraft industry -- despite the cries that the F-16 was not suitable. It's now out of production, but the end result was the AT-50 as the first indigenous design (with the help of US aerospace companies) that allowed the ROK tried to enter the aerospace market.   (L) AT-50 Golden Eagle (R) Turbo-prop Super Trooper (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The old warriors were there also. On static display was the F-5E from the ROKAF 11th FW that impressed the Korean people who could touch the 20mm gun barrels on the nose and run their hands over the blue-banded training AIM-9 Sparrow on the wing. I especially loved the old warrior Phantom F-4E that was in immaculate shape. Couldn't help get a little misty-eyed around the old beastie -- geez, its been so long. I have enough "phantom bite" scars to prove I was a "phantom phixer" on F-4C/RF-4C/F-4D/F-4Es...so long, long ago. Though the F-5Es and F-4Es have been long out of the USAF inventory, they still are going strong in the ROKAF. This is a tribute to the ROKAF mechanics who are miracle workers -- and the ROK pilots who fly these aircraft. As I looked at the ROKAF aircraft, I thought it was appropriate that the ROK citizens were allowed on base and able to see their nation's aircraft to reassure them that their defense was strong -- especially after the North detonated a nuclear device on Oct 8.   (L) ROKAF F-5E (R) ROKAF KF-16C (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   ROKAF F-4E (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) On the flightline away from the spectators were the F-15Es and the ROKAF A-37s of the Black Eagles aerobatic team. However, I was surprised NOT to see any representation by the US Army from Camp Humphreys of even an AH-60 Blackhawk or AH-64D Longbow Apache. Aren't these flying machines considered "Air Power"? Perhaps the nuclear crisis would explain the apparent lack of the U-2 aircraft and the Army choppers. They were probably on hangar alert because Kim Jong-il was doing his irrational thing up North. Off to the side, the place most of the folks were mulling around was the food stands. Every stand was doing a brisk business -- with the longest line at the popcorn booth. Hot dogs and hamburgers were the main fare, but some stands had Chicken Adobo and rice with lumpia. Others had Korean food -- but the big disappointment to us when we got there was that the booths had run out of rice...sigh. We got two plates of adobo and lumpia (no rice) and a hamburger and hotdog -- and sat on the grass as the Black Eagles did their air performance. Along with the food stands were some exhibits like the U-2 Black Cats with their high-altitude suit on display. Brought back the memories of the old days when my first unit in the USAF -- that dealt with making mushroom clouds -- was associated with the B-57 hippo-noses ran the high-altitude runs with their pilots in those pressure suits. I also remembered those U-2s out of Utapao, Thailand. The Medics handed out free earplugs to anyone who wanted them. I noticed all the dignitaries were out at the fire house for a front-row seat for the airshow.   (L) Arum, my daughter's friend attacking her plate of Chicken Adobo and lumpia (R) Boram, my daughter, with a lumpia roll in her mouth. (14 Oct 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The stand that made me feel the oldest was the one run by the 8th Fighter Wing's Maintenance Ops folks. Looking at those young airmen's faces, I envied their youth and enthusiasm. It was plain to see that they were proud of being from the Wolf Pack. Looking at them, I felt so old. At the same time, I was too embarrassed I couldn't even come to mention that I was part of the Wolf Pack in Ubon Ratchatani, Thailand where it got its name during the Vietnam War -- and then a part of the Wolf Pack in Korea when the F-16C was still relatively "young." Those were different times and I was from a generation that has now been supplanted. I have written the history of the 8th Fighter Wing on this site and probably know more about the old history of their base than anyone there. Regardless, these proud young men would look at me as a relic of a by-gone era. I was the past -- and they were the future. Feeling somewhat blue, I bought a lithograph of the blue-tailed 35th FS "Panton" F-16C as a souvenier. I still have my embroidered "Panton" "Blue Lead" jacket with the Fighting Falcon patch stored in a box under the bed. Looking at the new generation of the Wolf Pack, I felt like a relic of the past. The airshow's first event was by the Navy F-14 Tomcats. The Navy pilot on one stunt did a low-level maneuver with the aircraft nose-up at the point of stalling. It was something else and I just had to applaud as I walked toward the gate. I don't know how many of the audience could appreciate how much skill and balls that takes, but I was truly impressed. Then came the C-12 Huron VIP passenger aircraft out of Kimpo (K-16) in Seoul that could do nothing more sporty that try to fly real fast and make a banking turn. YAWN... Then the ROKAF KT-1 trainer went through its manuevers which were a little more exciting as it showed its stuff, but again it was rather tedious. Later in the day, the Black Eagles, the ROKAF aerobatic team, was the main event. The Black Eagles did a competent performance, but it didn't do any of the fancy maneuvers that it did last year that wowed the crowd such as making the Taeguki (Korean flag) design in the air or performing a "starburst" maneuver. Perhaps it was the death of one of its pilots during one of its performances at Suwon a few months back that made the group stick to a more conservative routine. Still it was a very nice performance with synchronized loops and flybys.     (L-top) Black Eagles Aerobatic Team (14 Oct 2006) (Korea Herald) (R-top/L-bottom/Ro-bottom) Black Eagles Aerobatic Team (Kalani O'Sullivan) November 2006ROK Internet Executive Accused of Bribery (Nov 2006) Just after an article appeared that Korea was one of the most corrupt countries in the world, the ROK arrested a ROK telecommunications executive, Jeong Gi-hwan, for bribery. His company, Samsung Rental Telecommunications (SSRT), handles the internet service to USFK bases through AAFES. The on-going complaints that have been heard of internet service appears to have been the reason for the executive to bribe the AAFES officials. AAFES response has been simply mumbles about an investigation going on. The contract, which remains in effect, provides phone, Internet and cable television services to USFK personnel on Osan Air Base. SSRT also provides Internet service to U.S. military personnel on bases throughout the Korean peninsula. AAFES refused to comment on the on-going investigation.
December 2006A-10 Drops BDU-33 on Factory (Dec 2006) A 25-pound dummy BDU-33 practice bomb dropped by an A-10 of the 25th FS on 28 Nov struck and damaged a factory but no one was injured, authorities said Thursday. The mishap occurred about 11:50 a.m. in Eumseong, northern Chungcheong Province, police said. Four workers were in the two-story building at the time. No one was injured in the Nov. 29 accident, but the nonexplosive BDU-33 training bomb damaged a two-story wire factory in northern Chungcheong province.South Korean news organizations carried video footage showing a jagged hole in the building, where the bomb slammed through the roof and ripped through the interior, boring through a bathroom and into a first-floor office where it stopped. The footage carried an interview with a shaken factory employee who told of fleeing the building with frightened fellow workers. (SITE NOTE: The ROK media played this up as another example of how the USFK recklessly endangers the ROK populace. The A-10 was initially said to be either enroute to or returning from Chikdo bombing range off Kunsan because of the mishap location south of Osan AB. In Jan 2007, the USAF stated the aircraft was returning from Pilsung Range which is northeast of Osan AB.) Officials at a nearby South Korean air base sent an explosive ordnance disposal team to the scene Wednesday. Serial numbers on the bomb enabled the team to identify it as of a type used by the U.S. military in South Korea, according to a South Korean military official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The 51st Fighter Wing said it also sent an EOD team. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Later on the day of the mishap, Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynes Jr., the 51st Fighter Wing commander, ordered Osan's A-10s to halt use of the BDU-33 pending outcome of the safety investigation. No similar halt in use of the BDU-33 had been ordered for the wing's F-16 fighters because it had appeared early on that the mishap stemmed from the A-10's bomb delivery system, which is different from that of the F-16, wing officials have said. Rack at Fault (Jan 2007) A faulty bomb rack caused a dummy bomb to fall from an Air Force jet in South Korea in November, a safety investigation has found. “A full investigation by the 51st Wing safety office revealed that for an undetermined reason, the Triple Ejector Rack on the A/0A-10 malfunctioned and did not release one BDU-33 over the range as commanded by the pilot,” the wing said in a Wednesday news release announcing the investigation’s findings. “This left the BDU hung ‘unsecure,’ ” the release said. “During the aircraft’s return to base, the BDU-33 fell from the plane.” The plane was returning from a training mission at Pilsung Range, about 90 miles east of Osan and about 60 miles from Eumseong, wing officials have said. The wing’s A-10s will resume use of the BDU-33, the wing said. Meanwhile, Reynes has ordered action on several recommendations contained in the safety investigation report. Reynes directed the wing’s 51st Operations Group to ensure that whenever possible, A-10s returning from training ranges with BDU-33s be routed to avoid populated areas. The wing also has asked the Air Force’s Ogden Air Logistics Center in Utah to spell out the proper amount of torque, or force, aircraft maintenance airmen should use when fastening a BDU-33 to the sway braces on the A-10’s bomb rack. “It’s a rule that every time you load this bomb into this plane, the torque value has to be put to this specification,” Schaerdel said. “They want to specify what the pressure value has to be.” The wing also has asked the Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., to provide results of any future flight tests of BDU ejector racks used on the F-16 fighter. Wing experts would use the data to explore whether the F-16’s rack might be adapted for use on the A-10s. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Jack Tierwel, Retired Activities Office Moves On (Dec 2006) As a non-SOFA retiree family living in Kunsan, we were accustomed to being treated as something lower than used toilet paper. Being a remote unaccompanied tour area, Kunsan retirees were at the bottom of the list -- and being a non-SOFA retiree dropped you off the list. However, we adjusted and relied on the Korean economy's medical services and other institutions to handle our needs for over a decade with very little contact with the base authorities except for commissary or BX runs. Thus when we moved to Osan and first met Jack Terwiel of the Retired Activities Office (RAO), we were flabbergasted at the services he provided in getting our car registered on base and in obtaining information on various subjects. Jack worked strictly as a volunteer, but the services he provided were professionally done and beyond anything we had ever encountered -- including stateside bases. Osan retirees were lucky to have Jack around. Jack maintained a website for the Retired Activities Office (RAO) at http://www.rao-osan.com/. The site contains a lot of great information for retirees as well as a huge amount of ancillary information on Osan AB and the Songtan area. His photographic history of Osan AB is a must-see slide show. He also has a slide show on the bar areas of Shinjang Mall for newcomers. It is a highly recommended site for all retirees and newcomers. Unfortunately for Osan AB retirees, in 2006, Jack received an offer to become the Retiree Services Officer for Korea and decided to move on. He was going to relocate his offices to Yongsan, but they could not provide him with a private office that his RSO job description required. Jack is awaiting office space at Camp Humphreys and will relocate there in January 2007. In addition, Jack will be traveling between camps to service pre-retirees throughout Korea -- as well as the retiree communities in those areas. Though the loss of Jack's full-time services to the Osan AB retiree community will be greatly missed, the rest of Korea's military retirees will benefit from his elevation to his RSO position. With his new job as the RSO for Korea, he will assume expanded responsibilities that will formally task him with providing services to pre-retirees -- especially those intending to retire in the local area. As such, Jack has placed another website online at http://rso-korea.com. The site covers information for pre-retirees and post-retirement info such as retirement benefits, retiring in Korea, problems with visas, etc. On October 1, 2006, a Retirement Services Office reopened at Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul serving pre-retirees and retirees throughout Korea. Seoul Retiree Bulletins from the mid-1980s indicate that a Retirement Services Officer civil service position existed and was occupied by Fred D. Yarborough. Subsequently, the position was taken in 1989 by David Downing, who served for only 8-9 months before the civil service position was transferred to the Army Career and Alumni Program at Yongsan and the RSO position was eliminated. This time, the RSO is a dedicated contractor position occupied by one person.Jack is still at his Osan AB office once a week, but he will be moving to Camp Humphreys in January 2007. For the time being, he will be at Camp Humphreys on the 1st and 2nd Tuesday of each month; at Taegu on the 3rd and 4th Tuesday of each month. He is still working on getting a schedule set up for the Dongduchon area. On Saturdays, Jack currently is operating out of his own office (with the RAO logo on the window) across from the New Seoul Hotel in the Shinjang Mall area. His telephone is (031)-663-0319. When we commented on it being expensive to support it out of his own pocket for a volunteer position, he stated, "Well, we own the building." His office hours on Saturday are from 1200-1600. Jack continues to amaze us as a volunteer serving his fellow retirees in the Songtan area. Pyeongtaek Residents Win Damages for Noise Pollution The Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday ruled partly in favor of 677 residents of Pyeongtaek who want the government to compensate them for noise pollution from the nearby Osan air base. The court ordered the government to pay W416.4 million or between W30,000-45,000 per person a month to 296 of the 677 plaintiffs depending on where they live and how long they lived there. They will receive between W100,000-1.6 million each in total. The court ruled the government is liable for damages to residents who live near the K-55 Osan Air Base or K-6 U.S. Camp Humphreys for suffering noise levels beyond "socially accepted standards." But those who moved there after 1989, when the Maehyang-ni bomber range caused a massive public outcry over similar problems, will receive no damages since they should reasonably have been aware of the noise pollution that awaited them. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: What the heck is "socially accepted standards"? Either one has a noise pollution problem that will impact residents or not. As only those who resided in the area BEFORE 1989 will receive the judgement, there appears to be no noise pollution standard broken -- otherwise everyone would have recieved the judgement. How a court reached this assumption of "socially accepted standard" is beyond me?) Miscellaneous Links:
839th EAB billets area with Hill 170 POL tanks in background. (1952) (Robert Evilsizor) The picture above is how Osan AB was in 1952. In the foreground of the 839th Engineering Aviation Battalion (EAB) is the Motorpool and the Supply and Mess tents are directly behind them. To the left is the HQ section. Runway is to the left and where the heavy equipment is located became the 18th FBW F-86F fighter-bombers parking ramp. (This area is now the AMC parking ramp area.) The "front gate" was in the 839th EAB area at the time. The road around Hill 170 (Broadway Road) where the "front gate" was at the time. Around Hill 170 was the bomb dump (the hill next to where the Bravo Gate is today). To the left, outside of the picture is the supply warehouse. Notice the Korean village still on the hillside of Hill 180. This is the village of Chokbong. It was relocated when the advance element of 5th AF was situated at Osan AB in 1953. At the boundary between the village fields and the EAB tents is where the road over the hill (Headquarters Road) would be constructed. (NOTE: On the south side of base was another village of Chang Deung-ri (Enheng Jengui). The 840th EAB was situated in the area and were the first to relocate when the construction for the second wing -- which never arrived -- was started. In the center of this village was the Ginko Tree at the golf course which is now a local landmark.) 
Movie Theater and Turumi Lodge are in about the same location as where the 839th EAB tents were situated during the Korean War. (Jul 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) 
Headquarters Road viewed from the intersection at Broadway (next to BX) (Jul 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan). 
(L) Supply warehouse -- First Permanent Structure on base (1952) (Robert Evilsizor) (R) Supply warehouse today (Jul 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) 
(Top) Supply warehouse in 1952 (1952) (Robert Evilsizor) (Bottom) Supply warehouse Today (Jul 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) 
(Top) 839th Seal (1952) (Robert Evilsizor) (Bottom) Seal Today next to Bldg 819 now half buried (Jul 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Special Thanks to Jack Terwiel of the Retired Activities Office and Curley Knepp for their assistance with the early history for Osan AB. 
Curley Knepp and his wife at Tumuli Lodge (Sep 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Local History:
Chae Yu-lim Shrine
We visited the shrine in August 2005. It is located in Ojwa-gaol (hamlet),
Ojwa-dong hidden away in the old village area behind the apartments across from
the Songbuk Elementary School.
(R) View from Ojwa-gaol of Apartments as one enters Songtan (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (L) View of Ojwa-gaol (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) On the hillside, there is a monument and shrine erected in 2001 to Chae Yu-Lim (1426-1471). The shrine is in good repair but to get to it, one must walk through an unmarked space between two houses and then through some high weeds while balancing on some stones to keep from walking in the mud. Outside the shrine is a stele. The plaque at the gate is in Hangul -- with no English, so this does not appear to be a tourist attraction. The marker shows it was dedicated in 2001. The plaque gives the details of Chae Yu-Lim's life. Though interesting as a side note, it is not worth a special trip as the front gate is locked and you can only peek over the wall.
Chae was born in 1926 and passed the government examinations in 1450. He became the Uijongbu governor in 1455. In 1464, he was selected to represent the King to the court of China to study the military situation and report to the King dealing with its vassal relationship with China. Chae recommended sending of Korean troops to China. In 1465, he returned to Korea. Due to intrigues within the court, attempts were made on his life, but he was saved by benefactors. He died in 1471 at the age of 45.
Local History:
Chundo-kyo (Eastern Learning) Church to be Torn Down
Another forgotten bit of Songtan trivia was torn down in May 2006. Located next to
the Shinjang 1-dong House Office was a small building up on a little knoll. The
doors were locked and the sign over the front door was bent. Anyone would pass
this building without ever paying attention to it. It was torn down and the knoll leveled for a new road that went down the hill.
But what was this building?
The sign over the door read "Chundo-kyo, Songtan-kyoku" meaning "Eastern Learning Religion, Songtan Church." This church represented a piece of Korean history dating back to the Tonghak uprising of 1892 that attempted to right the injustices of the Korean society for the disenfranchised poor and when their pleas were rejected by the King -- they resorted to violence by raising of the Righteous Army of 10,000. With the intervention of the Japanese, the revolt was suppressed. In the waning days of the Chosun dynasty, Koreans founded the Chundo religion based upon the Tonghak teachings. Recognized by King Kojong, the religion gained national acceptance. However, the Chundoists along with Korean Christians were the most vocal proponents of independence from Japan after Japan annexed Korea in 1910. When the 1 Mar 1919 Indepence Uprising broke out, the Chundoists were persecuted -- and in some cases massacred as in Hwangseong -- to put down the uprising. (See Korean History: 1919 .) This non-descript building was a circa 1960 construction as seen by the brick with stucco exterior and corrugated transite (concrete/asbestos) roof. It most certainly preceded the building of the Songbuk Catholic Church (1965) and Shinjang House Office building (1962). The participants in this Church were most likely drawn from the farmer classes where the Tonghak teachings had its roots, but it probably was not formalized in the area until after Chicol-ni had been built up. "Cheondoists" (Chundoists) or followers of Chundo-gyo refers to a religion indigenous to Korea. Chundo-gyo ('chun' = Heaven, 'do' = path or ways, 'gyo' = religion or 'ism' = Heavenly Way) is often mistaken for Chunju-gyo ('chun' = Heaven, 'ju' = master referring to Christ - Master in Heaven, i.e., the Catholic Church).
Chundoism arose from the Tonghak revolution that began in 1812 in Chosen. Besides the insurgents in China, the Korean Christians and Chundoists (Tonghak followers) were the most vocal in demanding independence from Japan. The Righteous Army -- an outgrowth of the Tonghak revolt -- fought the Japanese at Seoul in 1907. Thus the Christians and Chundoists massacred were natural targets by the police and its constabulary enforcement arm based in Suwon. (Source: Kimsoft: Tonghak ) After the 1 March 1919 Independence Uprising broke out, the Japanese brutally put down the rebellion with massacres throughout the nation.The Chundoist religion has since fallen by the wayside as modern Koreans embrace the Christian religions. Against this backdrop of the popularity of Christianity as well as the resurgence of Buddhism repackaged in an updated modern format, the Chundoist religion faded away. This building is now gone forever -- and with it another bit of trivia from Songtan's past has disappeared. 
The knoll was leveled and a road built through where the church once stood. The parking lot of the Shinjang-1 dong House Office was also cut into by the road expansion. (Aug 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) History Revisited: Hyomyung Middle School and High School in Seojong-ni (1953) In June 2005, we ran across an HQ Far East Air Force (FEAF) news release that mentioned a school being built by the 18th FBW. The HQ FEAF, 5th Air Force news release on 22 Jan 1954 read in part: "The airmen of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing provided materials and finances for a new eight-room country school house near Osan for 280 Korean grammar school children. While Korean builders speeded the construction of the new building, men of the 18th Wing utilized their off-duty time in the base hobby shop making 90 double desks and 140 double seats needed for the students." We began our search for the school at the time in the immediate area -- with no luck. However, while conducting an interview on the Seojong-ni area schools at Hyomyung Middle School, we were shown the 2003 50th Anniversary edition yearbook of the Hyomyung Schools and a small article by Father Dominicus -- the Catholic priest of St. Theresa's Church in Seojong-ni between 1952-1960 -- documented the building of the school by the 18th FBW of K-55 (Osan AB) donations. According to the History of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing 1 Jan 1954 to 30 Jun 1954, Office of the WIng Chaplain, written by 1st Lt. Andrew J. McLean, Deputy Wing Chaplain, and signed by Bernhardt G. Hoffman, Wing Chaplain talks of the St. Theresa's school. From this history, it appears that the funding and donations of time and effort for the construction of the furniture was solely due to the Catholic personnel on base -- and did not involve the Protestant group. There were over twice the number of Catholics (12,219) on base as there were Protestants (5,339) and Jewish (40). At this time, the Protestant Chaplain was attempting to set up a Wing Orphanage Program, but there appears to have been a lack of support from the wing leadership. Wing Chaplain Major George M. Rinkowski who had initiated the action had rotated to the states (Chanute Air Force Base) in Apr 1954. (Source: 51st FW/HO, John Okonski.) Humanitarian Services: 
Chaplain (Maj) Rinkowski and St. Theresa's Middle School (1952) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))
The Rev. Fr. George M. Rinkowski died on 16 June 2006 at the age of 93 in Toledo, Ohio. He served the Diocese of Toledo for over 65 years. Amongst his many accomplishments, he never forgot his contribution in establishing that small school at St. Theresa's (Seojong-ni Catholic Church) that turned into the Hyomyung Middle & High School:The Hyomyung Middle School 50th Anniversary Edition (2003) shed light on this school. The postcard in the photo reads: "This school was built by Catholic Airmen, Army Personnel, SCARWAF Personnel of K-55 through their generous contributions at Masses during the past six months. Bishop Paul M. Rho, Bishop of Seoul, (blocked out) the $6,000 (blocked out) 6 January 1954." According to Mr. Kim Jong-youp, Vice-Principal of Hyomyung Middle School, the structure was built in what is now the parking lot of the Seojong Catholic Church. It appears that $6,000 -- a significant amount of money at that time -- was donated towards the construction of the school done under contract, The key man in getting this going was Chaplain (Major) Rinkowski of the Wing Chaplain of the 18th FBW and Father Dominicu (Korean priest) of the St. Theresa's Church in Seojong-ni. However, this project was not well-publicized and may have been a strictly Catholic airmen initiative as many veterans of that period did not know of this school.  St. Theresa's Middle School (1957) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) The Seojong Church (St. Theresa's Catholic Church) was founded on its present location in 1937. Prior to the building of the new school structure, Father Dominicu (Ryu Su-cheol) (1918-1977) was teaching a small number of students in the rectory in 1952. Father Dominicu served at the Seojong Catholic Church from 1952-1960. 
Father Dominicu teaching in Rectory (1952) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))
The building was erected in 1953 and called "St. Theresa Middle School" -- and
is the predecessor of the present Hyomyung Middle School. (NOTE: It appears
that the date of the official opening of the structure by Bishop Paul M. Rho is
used as the founding date of the Hyomyung Middle School. The Hyomung
Middle School was founded on 21 May 1953 -- and followed by the Hyomyung High
School on 21 May 1956. The school's first classrooms at its present location about a quarter-mile down the road from the Seojong-ni Catholic Church was built in 1960, but it wasn't
officially moved until 1964.)
(L) Seojong Catholic Church Parking Lot (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (NOTE: Site of St. Theresa's Middle School in 1953.) (R) Seojong Catholic Church (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   St. Theresa's Middle School. Fr. Dominicu in center. (1953) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   St. Theresa's Middle School in front of church rectory (1956) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))  St. Theresa's Middle School in front of church rectory (1956) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 26 Feb 1957, the Hyomyuing High School created with three classes. On this date, the first principal Kim Kyang-ha took control acting both as a teacher and principal. On 10 Feb 1960, Hyomyung High School year graduated its first class of 24 boys and 9 girls.   (L) St. Theresa's Middle School in front of church rectory. Fr. Dominicu in center. (1958) (R) St. Theresa's Middle School Class (1959) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   St. Theresa's Middle School in front of church rectory (1959) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) From 15 Mar 1960 to 20 Dec 1960, construction took place to build 10 classrooms (903.57 sq meter). This is the location of the present school and operated as an annex of the main school remained at the Seojong-ni Catholic Church.   Hyomyung Middle and High School building ceremonies with Church and K-55 dignitaries. Father Dominicu as Principal presiding. (1960) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   Hyomyung Middle and High School building ceremonies with Church and K-55 dignitaries. Father Dominicu as Principal presiding. (1960) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   (L) 10 classroom building (NOTE: Now high school administration offices.) (R) Hyomyung Middle and High School building ceremonies with Church and K-55 dignitaries. Father Dominicu as Principal presiding. (NOTE: Notice the lack of buildings around the school.) (1960) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 18 Dec 1962, Hyomyung High School became "Hyomyung Shiop High School" (trade school) with three classes. On 15 Oct 1963, a sports room was constructed for judo. On 1 Mar 1964, the classrooms were "officially" moved from Seojong-ni Catholic Church to present location. In 1952 they first built the classroom at Seojong-ni Catholic Church and they had playground. In 1960, they built the classrooms where they are now, but there was no playground. During breaktime, they went to the Seojongni Catholic Church to use playground until a playground could be constructed. In 1964, ceremonies was held to dedicate the new construction on the playground. On 10 Oct 1965, a wood-working building (mok-kong jang) was constructed. From 15 Sep 1966 - 17 Nov 1967, they built 20 more classrooms (2023.5 sq meters). On 5 Oct 1967, three electrical classes were added. On 20 Nov 1968, three machine shop classes were added. On 20 Dec 1968, a family building (kajong-kwan) was built with an area of 573.4 sq meters. The 1st floor was 284.9 square meters, while the 2nd floor was 288.5 square meters.   (L) Business Class (1960) (R) Drafting Class (1967) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   (L) Surveying Class (1967) (R) Wood working Class (1967) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   (L) Electrical Class (1970) (R) Surveying Class (1970) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   (L) Wood-working Class (1971) (R) Electrical Class (1971) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))   (L) Machine Shop Class (1971) (R) Sewing Class (1971) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 1 Apr 1969, the second principal Kim Woo-yong took over. On 30 Jun 1969, classrooms were constructed at the first gate that encompassed 2024.4 sq meters. The 1st floor had 275.76 sq meters; 2nd floor 867.66 sq meters; and 3rd floor 480.96 sq meters. On 22 Nov 1969, the school name was changed to "Hyomyung Chonghap Kodung Hakkyo" (General High school) which synthesized the classes. Three regular classes were added.   (L) Hyomyung girl students (1967) (R) Hyomyung students in Seojong-ni (1970) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))  Class Roll Call (1970) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 3 Jun 1972, a new school building (ji hae-kwan) of 1110.44 sq meters was constructed. The 1st floor was 555.22 sq meters; and the 2nd floor was 555.22 sq meters. On 5 Dec 1972, electrical classes increased. On 1 Nov 1974 Machine shop classes were increased to 6 classes. On 29 Jul 1975, a "special study room" on 1st floor made 849.30 sq meter for Science course work. On 24 Nov 1975, the woodworking classes were terminated and electrical classes increased to 6 classes. There were 3 business classes and 6 machine shop classes. On 7 Sep 1978, an outdoor amphitheater was constructed that seated 5000 people. The pine trees that covered the area was not disturbed and the land was leveled with the help of the K-55 heavy equipment. The base also assisted in the construction of the amphitheater. The stand of pine trees in the amphitheater are the amongst last that once covered the entire Songtan area -- and from which the city gets its name: song (pine) and tan (charcoal).   (L) Construction of tennis courts (R) Construction of Amphitheater (1978) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 19 Oct 1979, the business classes were terminated. There were now 9 middle-school classes and 3 machine shop classes. On 3 Jun 1980, there were 3 machine shop classes, 6 electricity classes, and 12 middle school classes. On 1 Jun 1983, a "special study area" was constructed with a total space of 893.7 sq meters. The 2nd floor was the library.  Amphitheater Sports Awards Group (1985) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 1 Sep 1986, the third principal Yi Jung-taek took over. In 1990, there were only three types of classes. On 19 Sep 1990, there were 6 machine shop classes; 6 electricity classes; and 12 middle classes. On 1 Sep 1986 start built two special classrooms for weightlifting (208.5 sq meters) and completed on 23 Dec 1986. From 1 Jun 1987 to 1 Oct 1987 the construction of new library (209.34 sq meter) took place. From 19 Jul 1991 to 30 Jun 1992 the school built 6 more classrooms and 3 more toilets (1101.6 sq meters). From 28 Oct 1992 to 30 Dec 1993 the school built 27 more classrooms (2786.4 sq meters). On 1 Mar 1994, the fourth principal Fr. Kim Bong-hak (Bauro) took over. On 2 Jun 1994, a machine room area was made with total area of 3104.75 sq meters. The 1st floor had 1135.75 sq meter; 2nd floor 1124.50 sq meter; and 3rd floor 844.50 sq meter. On 1 Oct 1994, a student dormitory (ki-sik sa) was constructed with a total area of 475.24 squ meter. The 1st floor was 237.62 sq meter and the 2nd floor was 237.62 sq meter. From 11 Sep 1995 to 20 Dec 1995 the school built 3 more classrooms and one more bathroom (259.2 sq meter). On 5 Jul 1996, teacher housing (sataek) was constructed with total area of 120.96 sq meter. On 24 Mar 1996, display rooms were constructed with a total area of 1296 sq meter. The 1st floor had 486 sq meter; 2nd floor 486 sq meter; and 3rd floor 324 sq meter.  New Construction at Hyomyung High School with Bishop Kim presiding on dedication (Jul 1996) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 10 Jan 1997 the demolition of 30 classrooms no longer used. From 1 Aug 1997 to 20 Dec 1997 built 7 classrooms (780.3 sq meters). In 1999, a cafeteria was constructed with a total area of 1002.6 sq meter. The 1st floor had 923 sq meter and the 2nd floor had 179.6 sq meter. On 19-20 Jun 2001, national Catholic student meeting was held at Hyomyung Middle & High School. On 28 Feb 2002, the KBS "Golden Bell" program -- a student knowledge-based contest -- was televised from the school. On 1 Jun 2002, a 192.9 sq meter sports building was constructed. On 1 Jul 2002 the school built 6 more classrooms and 3 bathroom (841.52 sq meters). On 30 Oct 2002 the statue of the virgin Mary was moved outside. In 1960 they built an alcove for the statue on the building above the entrance. In 1997, the building was demolished and the statue moved inside. In 2002, it was decided that the statue should be moved outside in front of new building to inspire the students passing by.   (L) Statue of Mary above entrance and relocated (1970-2002) (R) Statute relocated (2002) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 13 Feb 2003 construction started in front of the library to build 6 more classrooms and 2 more bathrooms (841.52 sq meter). On 20 Feb 2003, the school held its 44th Anniversary as a trade school. Up to 2003, the school had graduated 12,155 pupils. On 10 Apr 2003, the school electrical system was upgraded to 900kw. On 22 Apr 2003, the Kyonggi-do trade students held their competition at the school. On 21May 2003, Hyomyung Middle School celebrated its 50th anniversary.   (L) Old building (R) New Building Construction: 1st flr sports room; 2nd flr computers (2002) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) From 28 Nov 2002 to 14 Nov 2003 the construction of the new gym hall (2300.5 squ meter) was undertaken. Using metal beams and concrete, the total area was 696 pyeong. First floor was 1583.5 sq meters (480 pyeong). 2nd floor 717 sq meter (216 pyeong). First floor used for baseball and office, bathroom, electric room, shower room, dressing room and 1000 moving seats. Second floor 1008 balcony seats, store rooms and multi-media room. The shared cost for the construction was Kyonggi-do Province gave 400 million won; Kyonggi Education Hall gave 500 million won; Pyeongtaek City gave 700,000 million' and School paid 700 million won. Total cost was 2.3 billion won ($2.3 million). On 6 Nov 2003, the Gym was rededicated as the Kwangamkwan Bldg -- the 50th Anniversary Gym.  New Gym Construction under construction (2002) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))  50th Anniversary Gym entrance (2002) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) 15 Sep 2003 they improve the drainage of the playgrounds. In the past, they had problems with flooded grounds that prevented activities. Added soccer fields and baseball.   Playground Drainage Project (2002) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) On 17 Feb 2005, the 50th class graduated from the Hyomyung Middle School -- a total of 16,219 students from its beginnings. On 28 Feb 2005, the Dominiku Building was erected in honor of Father Dominicu (1918-1977). The Hyomyung High School will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2007 (instead of 2006) according to the Vice-Principal of Hyomyung Middle School, Mr. Kim Jong-youp and Ms. Choi Jeong-min, a school English teacher who acted as translator.   Hyomyung HS & MS (2003) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))  Hyomyung HS & MS (2003) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))
Hyomyung Middle School (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Local History: Seojong-ni Catholic Church (St. Theresa's) (1932) The church activities for the area during the Japanese colonial period was centered in the Seojong-ni area. The Seojong Catholic Church (St. Theresa's Church) was first founded in 1937 near the Seojong-ni Train Station. Catholicism had taken root in the Jinwi-Pyeongtaek area in the 1780s so there was a strong following present in the area. Background of Catholicism in Pyeongtaek area One of first Koreans baptized was Yi Sung-hyun (Peturo - Peter). At that time, Catholicism entered Korea from China and the closest seminary was in Macao. In 1789, Yi Sung-hyun came to the Pyeongtaek Hyeungam area and worked to convert people. He later went to Pyeongtaek-gun, Paengsong-baechuri. He is credited with the start of the Roman Catholic faith in the Pyeongtaek area. (Source: Seojong-ni History.)
 Catholic Meetings 1791. (Pyeongtaek City) (Source: Pyeongtaek History (CD), Pyeongtaek Si Sa)
But the Roman Catholic faith would fall on hard times of religious persecution in the 1800s. During the 19th century both European and western traders began looking to the Orient as fertile grounds for commerce. In 1844 the U.S. Congress considered, then tabled, a motion to open trade with Corea. Over the following 20 years however, the Orient was subjected to increased, though unwanted, interest from foreign shipping and trading concerns. On March 31, 1854, the United States and Japan signed the Treaty of Kanagawa, opening Japanese ports to American ships. Six years later the French and British invaded China, seizing the capitol at Peking. While the Chinese fought to hold their capitol, Russia moved in from the east to easily grab 350,000 square miles of Chinese lands in the Ussuri territory. On the Corean peninsula the Choson people watched the western incursion into the Orient with fear and concern.
St. Teresa Kim Im-i (1811-1846) As a child, Teresa Kim Im-i, born into a Catholic family of Seoul, Korea, loved to read the lives of the saints and longed to imitate them. At the age of seventeen, she resolved to dedicate her virginity and the rest of her life to God, devoting herself to acts of piety and charity. Seventeen years later, she became a maid in the household of Korea's first native priest, (Saint) Andrew Kim Tae-gon. Aware of the ongoing danger of persecution in her country, Teresa told her sister, "If the Father (Father Kim) is imprisoned, I wish to follow his example, even if I have to give myself up voluntarily, so do not expect to keep me long in this world." In June of 1846, Father Kim was arrested by the pagan authorities. A month later, Teresa was arrested with three other women at the home of the Catholic layman, (Saint) Charles Hyon Song-mun. In prison, the four women refused to deny their faith, despite repeated tortures. Teresa encouraged the others to resign themselves to the will of God. On September 20, 1846, four days after the martyrdom of Father Kim, Teresa was beaten to death, one of seven executed that day. Catholic.orgThe Seojong-ni Catholic Church History In 1914, Jinwi-gun became Songtan-myeon, Pyeongtaek-gun. In 1938, Seojong-ni became part of Pyeongtaek-gun. At first there was no church in the area and Fr. Chae Pyong-nam (Benedicto) had responsibility for the entire area covering Pyeongtaek-shi, Shinjang-1 dong, Deogok-dong, Songbuk-dong, Jisan-dong, Jinwi-myeon, and Seotan-myeon. There were a total of 3,430 catholics in the area (male: 1,465 and female: 1,965) from 1,376 Catholic households. Father Molimard (Joseph) (b.1897) was the first priest of the Seojeong-ni church. Fr. Molimard was a Frenchman who came to Korea in 1925, He spoke Korean fluently. For a time, he worked in Hwanghae-do, Anak, Naehwa-dong. In 1926, he went to Suwon until 1928 when he moved to a build a church in Pyeongtaek. At the beginning of 1930, only one or two people were converted to Roman Catholicism in the Pyeongtaek area. Thus after he built the first Pyeongtaek Church, he turned to converting more residents to Catholicism. In Seojong-ni in 1932, there were only one or two Catholic households, but by 1934, 150 people had been converted to Catholicism. After the 150 people were converted, Fr. Molimard built the first Seojong-ni Catholic church. He received money from believers' donations and bought 400 pyeong of land on a hill near the Seojong-ni train station. In May 1934, Fr. Molimard built the temporary mudwattle and thatch-roofed rectory in the traditional Korean style and he also built a small 37 pyeong church. In 1934, the head of the Jesuit teaching order, Fr. Larribeau, in Seoul visited every weekend held a mass in Seojong-ni for the believers until 1938. Fr. Molimard had the responsibility for ministering to the entire area covering Shinjang-1 dong, Deogok-dong, Songbuk-dong, Jisan-dong, Jinwi-myeon, Osan-eup and Seotan-myeon. After Fr. Molimard converted 600 people, the Seojong-ni church became a true parish.  First Seojong-ni Catholic Church (1934) (Seojong-ni Catholic Church History) In May 1934, they built a more substantial 65 pyeong rectory, Work was started on building a 100 pyeong church on 29 Sep 1934. The rectory stood at the gate of the church at the base of the small hill and the church was located at the top of the hill. In Oct 1938, Fr. Molimard bought 3000 pyeong of ground and built a permanent 100 pyeong red brick church and 55 pyeong rectory. The original church is now the Church kindergarten.  Seojong-ni Catholic Church and Rectory (1952) (Seojong-ni Catholic Church History)  Seojong-ni Catholic Church and Rectory (1957) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) After Fr. Molimard was retired in Aug 1948, Fr. Cleary (Patricio) was assigned to the church as the second parish priest. Fr. Cleary suffered through the ravages of the Korean War as the North Koreans swept through the area in 1950. The rectory was destroyed because of the War and no records remained of the church history. Only the church survived. By 1952, the Korean War had settled into a stalemate along the DMZ. In Jul 1952, Fr. Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu) (1918-1977) was the third priest of the church and a new rectory was built. He was interested in educating the people and in 1952 started teaching children sitting on the floor of the rectory.  Father Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu) (1952) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003))  Fr, Dominicu at Communion (1952) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) Father Dominicu teaching in Rectory (1952) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) From the History of the 18th FBW (1 Jan 54 - 30 Jun 54), the initial funding of $6,000 and donations of time and effort for the construction of the furniture was solely due to the Catholic personnel on K-55 base. The project was initiated by Wing Chaplain Major George M. Rinkowski in cooperation with Fr. Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu). With the funds, a 75 pyeong structure was built. Maj. Rinkowski rotated to the states in Apr 1954. (Source: History of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing 1 Jan 1954 to 30 Jun 1954, Office of the WIng Chaplain.) The first St. Theresa's Middle School (Hyomyung Citizens' Highschool) was founded on 21 May 1953 and located where the church parking lot is today. Fr. Ryu Su-cheol became the first principal of the Hyomyung Middle School on 21 May 1953. St. Theresa's Middle School (1953) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) St. Theresa's Middle School (1957) (Hyomyung 50th Anniversary Book (2003)) The HQ FEAF, 5th Air Force news release on 22 Jan 1954 read in part: "The airmen of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing provided materials and finances for a new eight-room country school house near Osan for 280 Korean grammar school children. While Korean builders speeded the construction of the new building, men of the 18th Wing utilized their off-duty time in the base hobby shop making 90 double desks and 140 double seats needed for the students." The first teachers in 1953 were Yi Seok-chong, Pak Dae-yong, Pak Gi-ho, An Chong-ho, and Pak Dae-seop. (Source: Hyomyung 50th Nyeon Sa (50th Anniversary Edition)) On 7 Jan 1954, Bishop Paul M. Rho (Rho Ki-nam) , Bishop of Seoul, dedicated the building. After that 12 Jul 1954, the Korean government approved the founding of the Hyomyeong Middle School. The school house at the church was expanded to a 285 pyeong 8-room wooden structure with the aid of additional funds from the K-55 Catholic airmen. On 2 Apr 1955, there was a large ceremony when the building was started on the new school grounds south of the church. The Hyomyeong high school was established on 21 May 1956 as a trade high school. Then it became a general high school teaching a synthesis of subjects. Fr. Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu), in addition to his work as the parish priest, was also the first principal and chaplain of the Hyomyung Middle School from 21 May 1953 to 31 Aug 1955. In 1957 the new construction of the Hyomyung Middle & High School was started. The K-55 Airfield Installation Operations (AIO) catepillars and bulldozers were used in leveling the land for the construction. When the new two story concrete structure was completed in 1958, a dedication ceremony led by Fr. Ryu Su-cheol and attended by church officials and K-55 dignitaries. The Hyomyung Middle School principal was Kim Woo-Ryong who served from 2 Jun 1957 to 15 Apr 1969. (See Hyomyung Middle School for details on the school.) In Jul 1954, Fr. Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu) built a 15-pyeong religious meeting hall at Hwaewha-ri. In Mar 1956 he bought 5500 pyeong of land to make a Catholic cemetary in Jangdang-dong. At the same time in 1956, he built a religious meeting hall at Awyan-ri. Fr. Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu) of the Seojong-ni Catholic Church wanted to make a church in Songtan so on 14 Aug 1954 he bought 845 pyeong at 338-3 punji (address), Shinjang-ri, Songtan-myeon. The land was just above the rail spur to K-55 that ran along the base of Hobak hill. This is now the Songtan Catholic Church. (SITE NOTE: The church was founded until 22 Aug 1965 at 338-8 punji (address), Seojong-dong, pon-dang, Pyeongtaek-shi. The original church is what is now the office and rectory areas. The building has been modified to house the office and rectory of the church. SEE Songtan Catholic Church (Saint Andrew's Church).) On 26 Feb 1957, the Hyomyuing High School was created with three classes. On this date, the first principal Kim Kyang-ha took control acting both as a teacher and principal. On 10 Feb 1960, Hyomyung High School year graduated its first class of 24 boys and 9 girls. In Jan 1961, Fr. Kang Hwan-yoo (Johan) became the fourth parish priest. Fr. Yun Byeong-hi (Baoro) took over in Jul 1961 as the fifth priest. On 7 Aug 1961, Legion of Mary (Legio Mariae) was started. (SITE NOTE: The Legion of Mary is the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church, with well over 3 million active members in almost every country of the world in 2006. It has been approved by the last 6 Popes, and was endorsed by the Second Vatican Council. The main purpose of the Legion of Mary is to give glory to God through the sanctification of its members. Members become instruments of the Holy Spirit through a balanced program of prayer and service. Works include door-to-door evangelization, parishioner visitation, prison ministry, visitation of the sick or aged, crowd contact, religious education, visiting the newly baptized, Pilgrim Virgin Statue rotations, and meeting the other spiritual needs of the parish community. Legionaries are under the guidance of a spiritual director named by the pastor. The Legion is, in essence, an extension of the heart and hands of the pastor. (Source: Legion of Mary.) On 18 Dec 1962, Hyomyung High School became "Hyomyung Shiop High School" (trade school) with three classes. On 15 Oct 1963, a sports room was constructed for judo. On 3 Jan 1963, Fr. Kim Deok-jae [Chirill-ro) took over as the sixth parish priest -- as well as chaplain of the Hyomyung Middle & High School. Kyeong Hak-su (Johan) became the chairperson for the church. In Oct 1963, Seojong-ni church and other Kyonggi-do churches were previously in the Seoul diocese, but were moved to the Suwon diocese. In Oct 1964, Hyomyung Middle School building was 22 pyeong. They bought an additional 3000 pyeong of ground at the Hyomyung High School location. In Jul 1964. the Osan-eup (town) area had 5 religious meeting buildings and 1242 believers, so it was decided that a new church in Osan was justified and a new parish was set up by splitting them off from the Seojong-ni parish. On 22 Aug 1965 the Songtan Catholic Church (St. Andrews) was founded and it too was split off from the Seojong-ni parish. As a result, the Seojong-ni Catholic Church parish shrunk in size until it only represented the believers in the Seojong-ni area. On 7 Oct 1968, Fr. Ryu Jin-son (Leo) became the seventh parish priest of the church -- as well as chaplain of the Hyomyung Middle & High School. In Sep 1969, he bought 91 pyeong for the espansion of the church grounds. In 1969, "Forever Help" (Yongwan Han Doeum) group of sisters came to assist in the teaching at Hyomyung Middle and High School teachers. The sisters were housed in the now vacant building used for the old Hyomyung Middle School. In Jul 1970, Fr. Jang Gun-gu (Christomo) became eighth parish priest. He asked the "Sangi" sisters group to come to the school. In Jun 1974, sisters arrived at the church to assist in the teaching duties for the Hyomyung Middle and High School. The sisters lived together in the old delapidated school house on the church school grounds that was first built in 1953. The Kim Jong-jun (Johan) took over as the manager for the church affairs. On 28 Jul 1972, Fr. Kang Ju-hwi (Bangracio) became the ninth parish priest. In 1972, the Jwakyo-ri religious meeting hall was built. On 12 Jul 1972, there were 25 households with 254 people in the parish. A meeting hall was constructed through the 2 million won in donations from Shindang-dong parish, Wangship-ri parish, Sangdo-dong parish and Seojong-ni parish. In addition, people labored without pay to construct the hall. On 24 May 1975, Fr. Jo Hwan-gyu became the tenth parish priest. Anseong Middle & High School's Fr. Han Jong-hoon (Stephano) worked at the church on the weekends and then on 23 Mar 1977 became the eleventh parish priest of the church. He commissioned the statue of the Immaculate Mother Mary -- that still remains in front of the church -- as well as the garden area of the church. On 18 Jun 1981, Fr. Choi Kyong-hwan (Matea) became the twelfth parish priest. He was also chaplain for the Hyomyung Middle & High School. In Dec 1981, he built the new housing for the sisters and remodeled the rectory. On 12 Mar 1982, Fr. Bae Yun-hyun (Dominico) became thirteenth parish priest. In Jun 1982, Moon Gok-ri meeting hall which 25 houses with 113 people. Tanhyun-ri meeting hall turned into the Songsa Church. In Aug 1984, they built the Sunday School building. At that time there were 2019 people in the congregation and 8 meeting halls in the area. On 21 Dec 1984, Fr. Kim Chun-ho became the fourteenth parish priest. However, eight months later he went to the Sakang University. On 20 Aug 1985, Fr. Han Bong-ju (Keullaeto) became the fifteenth parish priest. Jagyo-ri meeting hall with 68 believers moved under the Pyeongtaek parish. On 24 Feb 1988, Fr. Im An-gi (Anduraea) became the sixteenth parish priest. Unfortunately, the sisters of "Forever Help" left because there was a disagreement over the operations of Hyomyung Middle & High School. On 1 Sep 1990, the church made a new branch hospital for the Me Ri-mae sisters group who replaced the "Forever Help" sisters. On 17 Jun 1989, a new building expansion was dedicated. At the first steeple in built in 1934, they held the 60th anniversary celebration of the first church in Pyeongtaek in 1928 by Fr. Molimard -- the first priest of the Seojong-ni Catholic Church. Jesuit Fr. Kim Nam-su (Angelo) took part in the celebration. (SITE NOTE: On 28 Apr 1983, Fr. Kim Nam-su (Angelo) built a 380 pyeong church at Songsau, Pondang for the 1,280 believers in the area.) In Sep 1989, work was started for the concrete construction of a new 1000 pyeong church building. Basement was for the building's electrical and support equipment and mortuary rooms. There were three floors containing office and meeting rooms, eating room, praying room for Mary, baby room, choir room. They also remodeled old church building for use as a Sunday School -- and later would become the Theresa kindergarten. Catholic sisters housing remodeled. On the exterior of the church, a cross was added so it could be seen from the road. Saint Theresa statue made in US added to the church and a new church door was added. The grounds were landscaped. The total cost of the new church was 3 billion won ($3 million). All church people had bazaars and sales to earn money to repay the loans. Other church donated money to the Seojong-ni church but there still was a large loan to repay. On 16 Jan 1991 the church started an prison outreach program (Gurea). On 15 Jan 1992 Jan 15 Lee Hwo-jin (Matea) became a father. On 2 Feb 1993 Fr. Woo Chong-min (Dominico) constructed a new church. In Songtan City, there were only three Catholic churches at the time in Seojong-dong, Songsau and Songtan. In 1992 planning started to erect a home (Joseph House) for senior citizens without a family to care for them. On 27 Sep 1992, the business manager had a car accident and one person died. On 3 Feb 1993, Kim Hak-moo (Segayohan) became the seventeenth parish priest. During 1993, the church continued to its efforts to help the poor. In Mar 1993 two Gurea prison outreach programs served two prisons with worship meetings and youth group service interactions. 5 Oct 1993 was the date set for the celebration of the founding of the church. In 1993, two radio broadcasts were done from the Pyeonghwa Studio. In 1993, Montesori teaching methods started in the St. Theresa Kindergarten. The old teaching rooms were demolished and 100 pyeong of space rebuilt. (Source: Seojong-ni Catholic Church History (1938-1993) and Daily History (-2006).)
Local History: Jwadong Methodist Church (1953) The Jwadong Methodist Church sits at the top of the ridge along Terminal Ridge Road (with the express bus terminal at the bottom). The Church has been in the same location since 15 Oct 1953 -- though it has undergone reconstruction over the years from a wood structure to a concrete building to the modern multi-story church today. In Feb 1980, they built a new church on the spot where the present church is located at 768 Jisan-dong, Songtan City; and in 1996 it underwent a major renovation. In 2004, the Jwadong Education Center with its parking lot was opened across the street. The church no longer commands an uninterrupted view as when it was first built in 1953 standing alone at the top of the hill. Now Songtan has literally grown up around it as it has become the center of activities for its congregation of 900.   (L) Jwadong Methodist Church (R) Jwadong Methodist Education Center (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Entrance to church worship area (R) Church Office at Street Level (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Jwadong Methodist Office Staff: (L) Shim Sun-sok (R) Chan He-ok (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The Methodist Church has been in Korea since the 1880s, there were many obstacles during the Japanese colonial period. After all, they became one as the autonomous Chosun Methodist Church under Korean management on 2 December 1930. After the liberation from Japanese colonial pressure on August 15, 1945, the Korean Methodist Church suffered from division for a few years, but it was reunited in 1949 when Rev. Kim, Yoo-Soon was elected as bishop. However, with the break-out of the Korean War on June 25, 1950 the Korean Methodist Church had to go through a time of severe hardship. Many church leaders including Bishop Kim were either kidnapped or executed by the North Korean Army, and many church buildings were destroyed. (Source: The Korean Methodist Church.)  Blowup of Aerial Photo of Jwadong and Jijangdong areas. (1952) (51st FW Photo) In 1952 as the Shinjang Road was still under construction. Chicol-ni (Chicolville) had not yet started to expand -- and the massive influx of North Korean refugees seeking work had not started. In the aerial photo above, there are two intersecting lines to the right. The line that runs left-right in the upper right hand corner is the Shinjang Road. This intersects in an "x" with the railspur that leads to the Bravo Gate area of the K-55 base. The curved line that intersects both the Shinjang Road and the railspur is the Kyongbu Railroad. One can follow the Kyongbu Railroad to the left running parallel with the MSR-1 (Main Supply Route 1). The Shinjang Road touches the right edge. This is the old Mokchon railroad crossing where the Shinjang Road joins the MSR-1. The MSR-1 runs from there to the left where it passes Jwadong and then Jijangdong at the lower left corner. The Jwadong Methodist Church had not been built when this photo was taken. If one goes to the curve of the MSR-1 that is the top of the hill. The 1977 Overpass was built from the point where the Kyongbu Railroad and railspur connect. If you draw a line parallel to the Shinjang Road, it will intersect the MSR-1 at the hill where the Jwadong Methodist Church would be built. The original structure was built along the path that led down the hill. Prior to 1952, prayer meetings were held in various houses in the Jwadong area, but no denomination or group name was assigned. According to Songtan Shin Hung Kyohwi 40th Anniversary Edition (1952-1992), Rev. Choi Hak-seong met with Chaplain Feine from K-55 to discuss starting a Methodist church in 1952. On 15 Mar 1952, a meeting was held at the home of An Choon-ja that was attended by Choi Hak-seong and ten other members to discuss the formation of a church. On 17 Sep 1952, they formed the Jwadong Methodist Church (Jwadong Kamri Kyohwi) -- also called the Weslyan Church (Weslieum Kamuri Kyohwi). Kim Gi-hyuk became an elder. (NOTE: The Methodist Church is a denomination derived from the Wesleyan revival of the Church of England stressing personal and social morality. The strongest Methodist church in the world is probably now in South Korea. There are many Korean-language Methodist churches in North America catering to Korean-speaking immigrants, not all of which are named as Methodist. There are several denominations which are of Wesleyan/Methodist heritage, but not explicitly Methodist.) (NOTE: In the 18th FBW History Jul-Dec 1952, there is no mention of a "Feine" as a base chaplain. Chaplin (Capt) John J. Scahill (1952-1953) was replaced by Chaplin (Major) George M. Rinkowski (Jan 1953-Apr 1954) as the Wing Chaplin. The South African Air Force Chaplin was Chaplin C. Scott Shaw (1952-1953). (Source: History of 18th FBW (1 July 1952 - 31 December 1952).) According to the Jwadong Methodist Church history, on 15 Oct 1953, Elder Kim Chi-sun,, Kim Ik-hwan, Yi Jong-du and 12 others gathers in prayer and formed the "Seojongni Praying Place." This became the Seojongni Kamri Church with the first pastor being Rev. Kim Yung-chul. (Source: Jwadong Chronological History, 2002) According to 18th FBW History in 1954, "Beginning in April, regular worship services were conducted at K-55 for Indigenous Personnel by Kim Yung Chul, Korean Minister. For the past month the same minister has been conducting a week-day Bible Class." (Source: History of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing, 1 January 1954 to 30 June 1954.) This refers to the first pastor of the Seojongni Kamri Church.In April 1954, the ground was purchased at 263 bunji (address) though no structure was erected at the time. At the time, the hill was covered with pine trees. (Source: Jwadong Chronological History, 2002) According to aerial photos in 1952, there was a trail that curved diagonally down the hill. This trail would later become the Terminal Ridge Road (though the route was straightened). The sides of the hill would not have many houses until the late 1970s -- and these few structures were located near the top the hill. Later in 1954, a structure was erected using mud bricks according to the Church history. The church was built at the high point on the hill. The church was a low one-story structure with a wood slat roof. The windows appeared to be wide shuttered windows for ventilation in the warmer months. There was a crudely constructed bell tower in the front of the church. Judging from the photos, the size of the church was approximately 20 feet by 40 feet. (NOTE: The bell dated 1955 has been preserved in the church and is exhibited at the entrance to the worship area.)   (L) Jwadong Methodist Church Sunday School with "new" church (1955) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (NOTE: Notice the bell tower set out front. The original bell preserved in the Church is dated as 1955.) (R) Jwadong Methodist Church Congregation (1955) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (NOTE: This most likely is the dedication of the first church in early 1955. Notice there is a black officer in the front row center. This person would most likely have been someone from the K-55 Chaplain's office representing the base. Alongside him would be Rev Kim Yung-ja, the first pastor of the church.)  Jwadong Methodist Church Congregation (1956) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) The congregation was comprised of mostly the South Korean farmers in the area as the influx of North Korean refugees were clustered mainly in the Milwal-dong area. At the time, there was only the MSR-1 (Taenhyun Road) that ran from Osan-ni to the north past the intersection with the Shinjang Road (Mokchon Crossing) and then up over the hill past Jwadong Village and then Jijang-dong village on its way to Seojeong-ni. There was no Songbuk Morning Market at the time. Everything past the intersection of Shinjang Road was all rice fields until Are-Konji-ni (now the area near the Dongbu Apartments) and the rice fields extended to the base of Acacia Hill (now Songtan Park in Jisan-dong). The Jisan Stream fed the fields. Rev. Yi Song-hyun was the 2nd Pastor of the church from 1957 to 1958. During this time, the financial circumstances of the church had improved and the church was able to build a more traditional church. In 1958 the new church was built on what was described as the "praying site". In the church history, the new building is described as a "sanctuary". It was located in what is now the parking lot of the Education Center with the doorway facing north. This was next to the dirt path that cut diagonally down the hill in what would become the Terminal Ridge Road. The chuch structure was complete in 1959. The Jwadong Methodist Church (Jwadong Kyohwi) had a high peaked roof with a steepled entranceway. The construction appeared to be mud brick construction that was the standard of the time as concrete was still scarce. The exterior was then stuccoed and painted. The glass windows were wide so that it could provide air circulation. In a photo of the church, there is a flue in the center of the roof, so it can be inferred that the heating of the church in winter was through radiant heat using charcoal briquettes in a stove in the center of the church. The doors were barred and windows grated to prevent burglaries. Surrounding the church was a stuccoed brick wall.   (L) People entering new cinderblock church with steeple (1959) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (R) Jwadong Methodist Church with "Jwadong Kyohwi" sign (circa 1960) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (NOTE: In picture on left, the bricks are bare, but in the picture on right, the bricks have had stucco applied over them and painted. In the right photo, a sheet of Masden matting -- or Marsten sheeting from K-55 -- is used as a entrance block.) By 1959, Songtan was increasing in size as the rice fields around Songbuk Morning Market was filled in. There started to appear a "downtown" area along the MSR-1 with the intercity bus depot (where the Kookmin bank is now) and the Jaeil Theater (behind where the Woori Bank is now). The wide road run up to the top of the hill where it reverted to a narrower two-lane dirt road to Seojong-ni as it continued past Jwadong Village and Jijangdong Village. It would stand to reason that as the area prospered so did the Jwadong Methodist Church as the only church in the immediate area. It would not be until the 1960s that other churches (Songtan Central Presbyterian and Songtan Catholic Church) were also built along the railroad tracks on Hoback Hill in the Goochang-teo area.  MSR-1 leading towards Osan-ni (NOTE: Jinwi-myeon hills in distance as road curves and goes down incline towards Farmers' Market. Electric poles to rear of buildings indicate that other buildings were behind the stores on left. Use of stones to construct stores on right indicates availability of concrete.) (Circa 1960) (51st FW Archives) By 1965, the first sewers were going in in Songtan. The houses now covered Milwal-dong and started to spread out down through what is now Shinjang-2 dong. Along the MSR-1 the police box was installed near the Mokchon Railway Crossing and the police started to use motorcycles and white-painted jeeps along the MSR-1. Though the Achim Morning Market area had expanded by reclaiming the rice fields, there still was no Songbuk Market Road (National Route 1) and the Jisan-dong area still remained mostly ricefields. In 1965, a new concrete church was built at 767-4 bunji (address). This new church was located where the side street now divides the present church and Education Center. The doorway of the building faced east. The exterior was covered with stucco and the roofed tiled. Judging from the photos, the church was about 40 feet by 20 feet. The old church that had been built in 1958 was retained as an educational building for teaching the children. It was located in the area west of the church in what is now the parking lot of the Education Center. Rev. Chang Jun-hong became the 3rd Pastor of the church in 1965.   (L) New church (1965) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (R) Jwadong Methodist Church Congregation (1966) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo)  (L) Jwadong Methodist Church with Pastor Rev Chang Jun-hong (1969) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) In 1969, Elder Kim Ik-hwan, the 4th Pastor, departed for the U.S. Upon Rev. Kim Ik-hwan's departure, Hong Chun-ju became the Elder. (NOTE: On 21 Sep 2006, Elder Lee June-Chole stated that Rev. Kim was now a pastor in Los Angeles and had returned in 2004 for a visit.) Up to the 1970s, the Jwadong Village area -- to the north of what is now Terminal Ridge Road -- remained isolated and a black bar row sprang up a few alleyways down. However, there was racial unrest with black airmen/soldiers that was spreading in the 1970s -- finally exploding in 1973 in Osan after blacks dragged a taxi driver from his cab and beat him. Koreans in turn attacked the blacks and racial violence quickly spread to the Shinjang Road area. As a result, the Jwadong area was placed off-limits and the black bars closed or moved into the Shinjang Mall area. After 1973, the bars were limited to the Shinjang area. Airmen no longer lived off-base in Jwadong and the Jwadong area reverted to a Korean residential area. In 1972, Park Soo-hum became Elder for the church after Elder Hong Song-gyu resigned. In 1974, Pastor Park Kyung-wan became vice-manager of the church, while Lee Joong-doo and Kim Kyung-lak became Elders. In 1975, Pastor Park Kyung-wan was reassigned. In 1976, a residence for the Pastor was built. Elder Jung Soon-jo, Kim Jang-kwan, Choi Jong-pil and Go Sang-yoon became Elders. In 1977, Elder Park Yoon-sook passed away and Elder Go Sang-yoon resigned. Construction on the overpass officially started on 29 Sep 1976 and was completed on 10 May 1977. After 1978 things radically changed in the Jwadong area after the overpass from the K-55 area was erected. The overpass was completed in 1977 and the Terminal Ridge Road running by the church was widened in 1978. It ran to the base of hill where it connected to the new National Route 1 (Songbuk Market Road) that was being constructed starting from Jisan Stream intersecting point and continued down until Seojeong-ni where it rejoined the old MSR-1 route.   (L) Overpass Intersection of Terminal Ridge Road and MSR-1 looking north toward Morning Market (1978) (Harry Tezlaf) (NOTE: Notice policeman on corner handling traffic light.) (R) Police Box on Intersection of Terminal Ridge Road and MSR-1 looking east. Jwadong Methodist Church just over hilltop. (1978) (Harry Tezlaf) In 1978, the new overpass was completed and the Terminal Ridge Road was extended to the base of the hill. At this time, the road construction was being laid out throughout the entire Songtan area with the cutting of roads on a grid pattern. The east-west roads in the Jwadong area followed the original alleyways as much as possible but cut perpendicular to the MSR-1 down to the base of the hill. The two north-south roads were to run diagonal along the hill. These north-south roads extended from Jungang-dong Village area through the Jwadong Village area across Terminal Ridge Road and then down the hill to the base where the intercity bus depot was located near the Achim Morning Market (Songbuk Farmers' Market). Later the new National Route 1 (Songbuk Market Road) would be constructed from the intersection of the MSR-1 near the Jisan stream through Jisan-dong to Seojeong-ni where it would reconnect to the original MSR-1 to Pyeongtaek. Unfortunately, the grid pattern for new north-south road through Jwadong ran directly through the Jwadong Methodist Church that was constructed in 1965. It would have to be demolished. At the same time, the older Sanctuary built in 1958 -- and used as the educational center -- was also demolished. Elder Lee June-chole remembers the church in the late 1970s and the education center being located to the east of the church. (Source: Verbal conversation between Kalani O'Sullivan and Lee June-chole on 19 Sep 2006.)  Side Street leading down the Hill to behind the Kookmin Bank (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) In Feb 1980, they built a new church on the spot where the present church is located at 768 Jisan-dong, Songtan City. A dedication service was held to bless the site of the new church. The land was filled in and elevated using a 20-foot retaining wall to create a larger area for the church. Basically the design would have the office area at the street level along the road that curved down to the Songbuk Farmers' Market area, while the church would be on the first floor at the newly elevated level reached by a broad set of steps from the street. The second floor would contain the offices for the pastors. In Nov 1980, the new church was completed. In Apr 1981, a dedication ceremony was held as well as a church revival. Elders Kim Jung-sook and Lee June-chole became Elders, while Elder Kim Gyung-lak retired.  Elder Lee June-chole (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) In Jan 1982, Pastor Yoon Ki-hwan was reassigned and Rev Park Ki-taek became the 8th pastor to take charge of the church. In Jul 1983, preacher You Dong-soo took over as the education preacher and a rectory was constructed on the present location of the Education Center.  Jwadong Methodist Church (1984) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) In Jan 1985, Preacher Bang Woon took over as the Education Preacher, and in Feb 1985, You Dong-soo resigned as the education preacher. At this time a new Songbuk-dong church was created with assistance from the church. In Jun 1985, Elder Lee Jong-doo retired. On 25 Sep 1985, a dedication ceremony was held for a new Pastor's building at C768 bunji (address) that would become the Education Center. In Jun 1986, Preacher Kim Hae-wook became a visiting preacher. In Jan 1987, Preacher Bang Woon became the education preacher, while visiting Preacher Kim Hae-wook resigned. Elder Park Soo-hum departed the church for Suwon. In Feb 1990, Pastor Park Ki-taek retired and Pastor No Chul-rae took over as the 9th Pastor of the Church. In Apr 1990, Rev No Chul-rae received his doctorate and an installation ceremony was held. In Oct 1990, Park Jin-suk resigned as education preacher. In Nov 1990, Elder Kang Do-won arrived from the Dang-jin area Yoo-guk Church. On 1 Jan 1991, Preacher Jo Sang-ho became the education preacher. In Feb 1991, Elder Lee Jang-doo passed away and a funeral was held in the church. In Feb 1992, Elder Kim Jang-sook retired. On 1 Jun 1992, Joo Sang-ho resigned as the education preacher and was replaced on 1 Jul 1992 by Lee Jung-Il. On 1 Sep 1992 Park Young-ae was promoted to visiting preacher. Also in Sep 1992, Kim Goo-hang became an Elder. In Feb 1993, Deacon Kwun Tae-bok became an Elder. On 1 Mar 1993, Preacher Lee Jung-il resigned. In Apr 1993, Elder Lim Sun-hee joined the church from the Songtan Kamri Church. In Sep 1993, Preacher Lee Do-jae became the education preacher. On 15 Nov 1993, the church celebrated its 40th anniversary. In Jul 1993, the church bought 130 pyeong of land to build the Education Building at 768-71 bungi, Jisan-dong. In Dec 1993, the church bought land at 768-95 bungi, Jisan-dong for the church. In Jan 1994, Preacher Jung Goo-yeul resigned to go the Chonbuk Jong Kwang Church. In Apr 1994, longtime Elder Oh You-gun arrived from Buchon Ki Doong Church. In May 1994, Preacher Ryu Kyung-yul became the education preacher, and in Jun 1994, Lee Do-jae resigned as education preacher. In Jun 1994 Elder Lee Wook-joo came from the Dang-jin Song-mae Church. On 1 Mar 1994, Pastor Jung Yoon-wha became the 10th Manager of the Church. Pastor No Chul-rae was reassigned to the Seoul Yang-moon church. In Jan 1995, Preacher Park Jung-ae was accepted as visiting preacher, but on 1 Oct 1995 he resigned. Deacons Han Kil-he, Choi Sung-kwun became Elders. On 1 Jan 1996, Pastor Jin Ki-sup promoted to Vice-Manager of the church. At the same time, Kim Hae-wook became a visiting preacher and Kim Jung-hoon became the education preacher. On Feb 1996, Lee Hyun-sook became the visiting preacher. In Mar 1996, the church underwent a major remodeling and facelift. The church frontage was upgraded and there was a landscaping of the grounds. The multi-story structure combined a kitchen and office area on the street level, the church was on the second level (top of the hill) and the pastor's offices was on the third level. In 1996, the construction of the Jwadong Methodist Education Center was started across the street along with the parking area for the church. On 23 Aug 1996, Choon Nam, Tae Ah-goon, Gun Hyung-myun and Tong Sin-ri dedicated the spot for the new 1,810 sq meter moral education center. On 20 Jan 1998, the Education Center was officially opened.   (L) Remodeled church (1996) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (R) New Church (1996) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) On 13 Jan 1997, the church supported project for a Philippine Missionary Church with 5 people and Pastor Jang Yoon-hwa. The building was completed on 25 May 1997. On 4 Sep 1997, Pastor Lingout and a pastor's group from the Dapdap Jwadong Church Education Center visited the Philippines for missionary education. On 11 Jan 1999, the church supported the making of the Dasmarias Church in the Philippines and on 25 Sep 2000 the Philippines Dapdap Jwadong Church and private residences completed. The Methodist church insists that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world. Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety; love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and renewal in the life of the world. On 30 May 1997, Lee Hyun-sook resigned as visiting preacher. He was replaced on 2 Jul 1997 by Park Jung-ae as visiting preacher, but he too resigned on 1 Nov 1997. On 1 Jan 1998, Lim Joo-suk became the visiting preacher. On 18 Oct 1998 services were held to mark Kwun Tae-bok, Han Kil-he, and Choi Sung-kwan becoming Elders; as well as marking Elder Lim Sun-he's retirement. On 13 Dec 1998, Kim Choong-bae and Jin Moon-ja became deacons. On 31 Jan 1999, Pastor Choi Han-young became the pastor to the Taekwang High School. On 1 Jun 1999, Lim Joo-sik resigned as visiting preacher. On 1 Sep 1999, Kim Hae-wook resigned as visiting preacher. On 15 Aug 1999, Lee Sun-hee and Jang Hee-ok took over as visiting preachers. On 1 Dec 2000, Joo Byung-jin became education preacher. On 30 Mar 2001, Pastor Jung Yoon-wha was promoted to Pyeongtaek Methodist District Superintendent. Education preacher Kim Jung-hoon became the Pastor. On 18 Apr 2001, his inauguration ceremony was held at the Pyeongtaek Presbyterian Church. On 11 May 2001, the Education Center was built on 768-6, 786-8, 768-48 and 768-68 bunji with an area also used as a parking lot. Elder Choi Sung-gwan was made the project manager. The construction took 8 months. On 27 Jan 2002 Pastor Jung Yoon-hwa and 350 people attended the dedication of the new Education Center. On 1 Jan 2002, teachers Sao Bo-hyun and Lee Jong-min became education preachers. On 17 Feb 2002, Kim Jung-hoon resigned as the education preacher. The church continues to serve its community's religious needs after over 50 years. The church activities include providing free English conversational classes for youngsters, bible study and other activities for its youth. The present senior pastor is Rev Um Sang-hyun who oversees the congregation of about 900 (including children). Rev. Un Sang-hyun took over as pastor in 2004. He is assisted by Assistant pastor Lee Sang-hyun who arrived in 2006.  Rev. Um Sang-hyun  Jwadong Methodist Education Center (2004) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo)   (L) Church Revival (10 Apr 2006) (1996) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) (R) Congregation (15 Apr 2006) (1996) (Jwadong Methodist Church Photo) Local History: Shin Hung Presbyterian Church (1952) In the beginning, a few people met at various houses to hold prayer meetings. When the base opened, more people came into the area and joined these informal worship groups. No name was ever given to these groups. The Rev. Choi Hak-seong led the meetings. According to Songtan Shin Hung Kyohwi 40th Anniversary Edition (1952-1992), Rev. Choi Hak-seong met with Chaplain Feine from K-55 to discuss starting a Methodist church in 1952. (NOTE: In the 18th FBW History Jul-Dec 1952, there is no mention of a "Feine" as a base chaplain. Wing Chaplin (Capt) John J. Scahill (1952-1953) was replaced by Wing Chaplin (Major) George M. Rinkowski (Jan 1953-Apr 1954). The SAAF Chaplin was Chaplin C. Scott Shaw (1952-1953). (Source: History of 18th FBW (1 July 1952 - 31 December 1952).)On 15 Mar 1952, a meeting was held at the home of An Choon-ja that was attended by Choi Hak-seong and ten other members to discuss the formation of a church. On 17 Sep 1952, they formed the Jwadong Methodist Church (Jwadong Kamri Kyohwi) -- also called the Weslyan Church (Weslieum Kamuri Kyohwi). Kim Gi-hyuk became the elder. Choi Hak-seong attempted to build the Pyeongan Church at the four-way intersection where the church is now located in Bokchong-ri, near to the old Hill 180 gate of K-55. elder Kim Gap-jae, on the other hand, wanted to move the church closer to "downtown" where more buildings were located. The disagreement was not fierce. In the end, Choi Hak-seong prevailed and they bought the ground where the present Shin Hung Church resides. The first wood structure was built on 1 Jun 1952. An American bulldozer from K-55 leveled the ground for the church at the same time they were cutting the road up Milwal-dong and the dirt road to the Hill 180 Gate next to Makum-ni. The original church stood alone atop a hill with grass directly across a small depression from the Hill 180 gate. The first time the church framing was erected, they tried to construct a wall but the wind blew it down causing them to have to start over again. The congregation funds had only 80 hwan in it when they started the building. They built the frame, but they had no money to complete the structure so they borrowed money to put up the siding.  First Church (1954) (Walter Faulkner) Fortunately at Osan Air Base (K-55), there was a big motorpool fire. Rev. Choi Hak-seong arranged to obtain the salvaged wood from the demolished building for use in completing the siding of the church in 1954. The building had a high pitched roof of 25 "ja" and the building floor area of 30 "ja." The church was approximately 20 feet wide by 40 feet long. The corrugated iron for the roofing most likely came from base materials as well as the Jamesway barracks (plywood with corrugated iron facing) and quonset huts were all constructed with this material. The roof of the church appeared to have reused corrugated iron on one end and new materials on the other end as seen by the discoloration. There were two doors on the front entrance and each side had four shuttered windows. The wooden church was finally completed "on the hill where there was a lot of grass" on 1 Jun 1952. When they finished construction of the main church, they built a smaller building to the rear. The church supposedly near a "four-way intersection." Rev Choi would serve at the new chuch until he departed on 1 Feb 1956 to study in America. After the church was completed a lot of people attended, especially North Korean refugees (Hyongbu). Though the congregation grew, the church remained poor. During the Korean War years, most of these refugees had no money so they built their houses adjacent to the church with mudwattle bricks or thin salvaged wood. The roofs of these houses were also made of thin wood or flattened ammo cans. The houses were so low that people had to stoop inside and during the summer, it was unbearably hot. These North Korean refugees were so poor that they ate the throwaway foods (slop) from base that was mixed together and water added. It was then boiled as food. The church at times was used for house these refugees.  Congregation of Shin Hung Church with Pastor Choi Hak-seong (1954) (Songtan Shin Hung Kyohwi 40th Anniversary Edition (1952-1992))  Congregation of Shin Hung Presbyterian Church in Bokchong-ri with Church in background (1955) (Songtan Shin Hung Church 40th Anniversary Edition 1952-1992)  Congregation of Shin Hung Presbyterian Church in Seomi-ri with Church in background (1955) (Songtan Shin Hung Church 40th Anniversary Edition 1952-1992) (NOTE: The windows are shuttered type as seen in 1954 photo, but will be changed to glass window frames later. The bell tower at the front entrance was added in 1955.) (SITE NOTE: Between Jan-Jun 1954, "Frequent contacts with the civilain clergy and Korean Citizens in charge of humanitarian and welfare projects have been maintained by both Protestant and Catholic Chaplains." "Beginning in April, regular worship services were conducted at K-55 for Indigenous Personnel by Kim Yung-Chul, Korean Minister. For the past month the same minister has been conducting a week-day Bible Class." (Source: History of the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing, 1 January 1954 to 30 June 1954)) In 1955, they added a steeple at the front of the church that blocked off the two doors at the front. On the side of the church, they later added a bell tower in 1955. The shuttered windows were replaced with glass windows in 1956. The church remained a Methodist Church, but membership dwindled after the war. (NOTE: In conversations with the present Pastor of Shin Hung Church, Ahn Jang-hyun, the date that the switch to a Presbyterian Church from Methodist is unknown. It is assumed that the changeover occurred after Rev Choi Hak-seong went to the US in 1956.) The reason was that there were only two Methodist churches in Korea -- and missionary funds to support the church dropped off. After Rev. Choi Hak-seong went to America to study, attendance dropped off significantly at the church. In Feb 1956, Bang Kwan-deok became an elder of the church. He would later took over as Pastor of the church where he would serve until June 1959. In 1956, the church would switch to a Presbyterian church, instead of Methodist church. (SITE NOTE: In Presbyterian churches, the office of bishop was abolished in the 16th-17th centuries, the heads of local congregations using the name minister. In this arrangement, the ministers' leadership is shared with presbyters (also called elders, usually elected by the local congregations), who help them shepherd the church while keeping their secular professions. In these traditions, the term presbyter is generally restricted to the Presbyterian churches, while other Reformed churches tend to use the term elder.) In Jun 1959, Rev Kim Man-keul took over the congregation. He would serve until Apr 1961. During his tenure, the Shin Hung Kindergarten was started and graduated three classes before it ceased its operations in 1963. In Jan 1962, Rev. Park Yeong-kyu became the senior Pastor. He would serve until Jan 1965.  Shin Hung Church (1964) (Songtan Shin Hung Church 40th Anniversary Edition 1952-1992) In Jan 1965, Rev. Kim Chu-seon took over the reins of the church. He would remain the Pastor until 1 Jan 1976. On 1 Jan 1967, the church bought 324 pyeong of ground to expand its location. On 1 Nov 1967, the church was expanded into a 57 pyeong structure.  Shin Hung Church (1973) (Songtan Shin Hung Church 40th Anniversary Edition 1952-1992) On 17 Feb 1976, Kim Myeong-ha became Pastor. He would remain the Pastor until Mar 1979. On 28 Aug 1977 the church celebrated its 25th anniversary. On 1 Oct 1977 Kim Jae-ok became the elder of the church and would remain so until 31 Dec 1979. In Mar 1979, No Sam-han became the Pastor. He would serve until Sep 1982. Kim Chal was appointed an Elder in 1979 and remained in the position until 15 Feb 1982. In Sep 1982, the present Pastor Ahn Jang-hyun took over the leadership of the church. A new church was built in 1983 and the first services were held in Feb 1984. The new church was officially dedicated on 12 April 1984. There are currently 1000 in the congregation, including children.  Shin Hung Church (1984) (Songtan Shin Hung Church 40th Anniversary Edition 1952-1992)  Services at Shin Hung Presbyterian Church in Bokchong-ri, Seojong-dong. (1992) (Songtan Shin Hung Kyohwi 40th Anniversary Edition (1952-1992))  >Holding Services in Shin Hung Church with Rev. Ahn Jang-hyun delivering a sermon. (29 Nov 1987) (Songtan Shin Hung Kyohwi 40th Anniversary Edition (1952-1992))  Rev. Ahn Jang-hyun (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   Shin Hung Church (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Local History: Seongwang Presbyterian Church (Onori Church) (1954) The church is located in Shinjang 2-dong across from the Shinjang 2-dong House Office -- and a block away from the Songshin Elementary School. It is situated directly across from the Shinjang-2 dong house office. This was the second church in the area after the Jwa dong Methodist Church in Jwadong -- though the oldest church in the area is the Seojeong Catholic Church (Saint Theresa) in 1932. The Seongwang Church group was formed at prayer meeting held at the home of Chae Yong-seok on 11 Apr 1954. On 10 Jun 1954, Rev. Yi Ji-young became the first pastor of the church and in July 1954, the first church was constructed. When the first Songwang Church was built, it was on the high area near the railroad tracks, while the rest of the surrounding area was rice fields that had not been reclaimed as yet. Remember that the time was very poor and the area was filled with mostly North Korean refugees who found work on the base in menial positions. Wood and lumber was scarce so the church structures in the area were built with wood scrap donated by the base. From the 1959 photo below, it would appear that the church had a steeple - bell tower as part of the church, however, other details are much too blurry to identify details of the structure.  Main Gate of Osan AB in 1959. If you look in the distance between the gate shack and the airmen walking out the gate, there is a building that stands above the other structures. This is the Seongwang Church. The Songshin Elementary School would not be built until 1963. (1959) (Ed Stirling) From Nov 1954 to Dec 1955, the second pastor of the church was Rev. Park Yang-mo. On 11 Apr 1955, the church celebrated its first year anniversary. From Jan 1956 - Mar 1961, Rev. Yi Nak-ju served as the third pastor of the church. In Mar 1956 the Seongwang Children school (grade 1-3) was formed. (SITE NOTE: Compulsory elementary school education was mandated by the First Republic of Korea, but unfortunately there simply was not enough teachers or classroom space available for all the children. In the Songtan area in 1956, there was only the Seojong Elementary in Seojong-ni and Songbuk Elementary in the Songtan area. Church schools supplemented the educational needs and K-55 provided tents for these first schools. Park Chong-su stated that his father, Park Sang-chul, worked as an advisor to the base the 6314th ABG after the war. He convinced the base to donate tents to found the first school in Songtan called the Seongwang Hagwon with grades 1-3. It was run by his father's friend, Pak Byeong-kwon, who lived next to the school. This tent school was located just below where the Songshin Elementary School is now next to what was then rice fields. This later became the Seongwang Kungmin Hakkyo which was the predecessor of the present Taekwang Middle School. Though in the same area, this appears to NOT have been associated with the Church school. (Source: Verbal Conversation with Mr. Pak Chong-su, on 19 Nov 2005 and 1 Oct 2006.) On 28 Nov 1958, the Songtan Jaeil Presbyterian Church split away from the Seongwang Church to form its own church. It started as the Jwadong Presbyterian Church in Dec 1958 and later changed its name to Jaeil Presbyterian Church when it moved to its present location in the Milwal-dong area. (SITE NOTE: The four oldest Presbyterian churches were spun off from each other. The Jwadong Methodist spun off the Shin Hung Church in 1958. Shin Hung, in turn, spun off the Songtan Central Presbyterian in 1962. The Seongwang Church spun off the Jaeil Church in 1958 and later the Hanil Church in 1974.) In 1959 Kim Yong-su, Chong Kwang-sok, Cho Chun-ho made elders (changno-changlip). In 1960, the construction of the new church structure was started. In Apr 1960, a dedication ceremony and was held and on 28 Sep 1960, the cornerstone was laid for the church. In the 1960s, the use of concrete became more concrete and the structure was much more substantial than the older mud-brick and wood structure. From 5 Mar 1961 to 8 May 1970, Rev. Kim Jung-gun served as the fourth pastor of church. On 11 Oct 1961 the Jungang Changno Church merged with the Seongwan Presbyterian Church. On 11 Apr 1964, the church celebrated its 10th anniversary. In 1964, An Yong-tae, Il Chil-song, Choi Ha-gyong were made deacons. Chon Tae-hwan, Pak Chon-som, Cho Yong-song, Kwan Chon-baek became elders (kwansa chwi-im). From 23 Jul 1969 to 7 Nov 1970, Rev. Yun He-shik served as the fifth pastor of the church. On 1 Dec 1970, Yi Song-yok, Cho Shin-haen, Chang Kyu-hyon became deacons. Choi Yong-gil became elder. (He would retire on 21 Jan 1984). From 12 Jan 1971 to 2 Jul 1971, Preacher Sol Sam-yong served as the Education Preacher. On 29 Mar 1971, the church procured 836 pyeong of land in the Seoul area. Between 12 Feb 1972 and 9 Mar 1974, Rev. Yi Nak-hyun served as the sixth pastor of the church. On 9 Mar 1974, the Hanil Church was split away from the Seongwang Church. From 12 May 1974 to 27 Sep 1976, Rev. Han Jae-song served as the seventh pastor of the church. On 12 Jun 1976, the education building was constructed. From 27 Dec 1977 to 12 Jun 1984, Rev. Kim Chong-kyu served as the eighth pastor of the church. On 17 Jun 1978, Kim Chong-kyu made Han Mi-su the Elder. (He would retire on 1 Jan 1984.) Also in 1978, Yau In-hak, Go Kyu-hong, Sol Tae-sok became deacons, while Namgung Ok-sun, Chon Gi-chok, Hwang Cho-son, Kim Kap-sun became elders. On 3 Dec 1979, Yau In-hak, Go Kyu-hong, Sol Tae-sok became elders, while Choi Song-dau, Kim Dau-gwang became deacons. From 21 Jun 1984 to Mar 1987, Rev. Yi Song-woo served as the ninth pastor. On 13 Apr 1986, Kim Chul-won, Kim Chong-gyu became deacons, while Kim Son-won, Kim In-suk became elders. From 24 Jun 1987 to 13 Dec 1988, Rev. Park Chi-woo served as the tenth pastor of the church. Between 2 Mar 1989 and 15 Jan 1994, Rev. Kim Kap-deok served as the eleventh pastor. On 3 Oct 1989, Kim Su-yon, Sau Woo-jin, Kim Yon-su, Park Chun-ja, Chon Bok-ki, Son Hong-bun, Yang Hang-ta, Yun Pyeong-hi became elders (kwansa chwi-im). On 11 Nov 1989, Yi Chang-su, Kim Chong-gyu, Kim Tau-gwon, Kim Chol-won became manager (changno chang-lip). On 10 Mar 1991 a parade was held to dedicate the new church renovations. On 31 Mar 1991, Go Sang-min was made senior elder. On 26 Jul 1992, the new remodeling of the interior of the church was complete under the guidance of Pastor Kim Kap-deok . In Jul 1992, Elder Yau In-hak and Elder Chong Gi-chok retired, while Lee Jong-hau, Pak Song-ship, Song Choon-mok became deacons (chipsa). From 6 Jan 1994 to 6 Dec 1995, Rev. Yi Song-ho was the twelfth pastor. Between 6 Dec 1995 and 28 Feb 1998, Rev. Ru Shi-hong was thirteenth pastor. On 24 Dec 1996, the Nul Chanyang Church merged with the Seongwang Church. Between 1 Mar 1998 and Sep 2000, Rev. Kim Seok-jung served as the fourteenth pastor of the church. On 25 Jul 2000, Elder Go Kyu-song retired. In 2000, Chae Il-hwa and Choi In-ja became elders, while Chong Su-gil became a deacon. From 11 Oct 2000 to 1 Mar 2002, Rev. Yu Sun-gi served as the fifteenth pastor of the church. On 17 Dec 2000, the Seongwang Church changed its name to the Onori Church. On 15 Mar 2002, the present pastor, Rev. Chung Byung-rok, took over as the sixteenth pastor of the church. On 10-11 Oct 2002, the Kyonggi Noheo -- Chonggi Noheo revival was held. On 24 Nov 2002, the official benediction for Rev. Chung Byung-rok, took place.  Rev Chung Byung-rok, Pastor Seongwang Church On 17 Mar 2003, Lee Kong-gi, Chong Sung-gi became elders (Changno), while Yi Gae-ho, Yi Ook, Yi Gin-lat, Kim Min-chol, Chae Yong-nam, Kim Gin-taek, Kim In-nyop, Park Kwang-jong became deacons (Ansu Chipsa). Hwang Mae-sun, Cho Sun-dok, Maeng Yong-sun, Yi Ong-nyo, Kim Chon-nae, Park Kong-soon, Park Suk-ki, Kim Kyong-soon became directing elders (Chansu Keonsa).   Onori Church (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: The new church was built on the same location as the old church. Notice the Hangul lettering above the door shows the old name, "Songwang Kyohwi".) Local History: Jaeil Presbyterian Church (1958) According to the history of the Seongwang Presbyterian Church, on 28 Nov 1958, the Jaeil Church split away from the Seongwang Church to form its own church. The Songtan Jaeil Church (First Presbyterian Church of Songtan) was first started as the Jwadong Presbyterian Church on 5 Dec 1958. The church is presently making preparations for its 50th Anniversary in 2008. (Source: Jaeil Church for church homepage (hangul).) On 21 Mar 1961, the cornerstone was laid for a 40 pyeong church. On 1 Apr 1961, the Songtan Jaeil Church was officially founded. On 5 Dec 1958 the Jwadong Presbyterian Church was first built. On 1 Apr 1961 the name was changed to the Songtan Jaeil Church. Work was started to build a 40 pyeong chapel in Mar 61. On 24 Oct 1961 the chapel was completed. On 4 May 1965 the chapel was expanded to 80 pyeong. When the church was first founded in Milwal dong, the area just past the Songshin Elementary school in Shinjang 2-dong was still all rice fields. In the early 1965, the small church stood alone at the top of the hill. Houses had not spread down the hill from Milwal dong and there were few buildings encroaching on the church at the time. The other church in the area was the Songwang Church (Onnori Church) down near the Songshin Elementary School. Slowly other houses were built in the area as the expansion of Songtan spread outwards along. Within a few years, the houses had surrounded the church.  Rice Fields in what is now Shinjang 2-dong looking towards Milwal dong. (1965) (Harry Tezlaf) In the 1965 picture above, the large building 2/3 of the way from the right is the Jungang Movie Theater at the top of Milwal Road -- where the Capital Hotel is presently located. To the left are the houses spreading out from the west side of Hill 180 towards Seojong-ni. On the next hill to the left is the Jaeil Church -- still very small structure the size of a small house. (Using present landmarks, the hill the Jaeil Church sits on is where the road from the top of Milwal Road goes down then up the hill to an intersection -- where you turn left to go to the Songtan Train Station. One turns right and up the hill to go to the church. The ricefields were reclaimed later to form the area used for Taegwang Middle School and High School. The expansion towards Seojong-ni will end about where the houses on the left are. The picture is taken from the Shinjang 2-dong side near the railroad tracks somewhere around where the Taegwang Middle School is now. Behind the photographer are the houses that are just to the right of the Shinjang Road leading to MSR-1. At that time, the area between the west side of Hill 180 and the railroad tracks was still mostly ricefields. During the Pueblo Incident in 1968, Bill Bayless was deployed to Osan with the 12th TFS of the 18th TFW from Kadena. He wrote on Tango Way, "Osan was a poor town, with little to support it other than the base. I think a rather high percentage of the people in town engaged in occupations of dubious repute. In the history of Korea there must have been an influx of Christian missionaries, because the biggest and best buildings in town were the abundant Christian churches of various denominations." The following are some photos he took of the area in 1968.
 Jaeil Church (1968) (Bill Bayless)  Hill 180 Gate Road (1968) (Bill Bayless)
On 5 Dec 1969 Rev. Park Yong-shik became the first Pastor for the church. On 22 May 1969 Park Byeong-suk and Oh Sok-son became Elders for the church. On 18 Jun 1971 Jang Eun-shik and Kim Ji-sok became Elders. From 1 Jul 1972 to 2 Feb 1995 Park Yong-i served as the preacher. On 20 Jun 1972 the 67 pyeong education building was completed. On 22 Nov 1973 the church was expanded to 324 pyeong. (NOTE: In 1988 it would be expanded to its present 328 pyeong size.) It is still at its present location on a hill top on the south side of Hill 180 in the Milwal-dong area. From 1973-1977, Rev. Park Buhm Yong, first served at the Jaeil Church. When he was assigned to the church, he remembered that the base chaplains would periodically give sermons at the church. In those days, there were only five churches in the immediate area -- as 70 percent of the population of Songtan was clustered around the main base -- and servicemen living off-base with their families would attend. Since that time the face of Songtan has changed dramatically. Reverend Park hopes to reestablish this link with the church and the base. Rev Park remembers in 1973 when the caterpillars provided by the base assisted in grading the land around the church. (NOTE: This was prior to the massive reconstruction and road-building in the area mandated by President Park Chung-hee in 1976.) At that time the area was still a mixture of older mud-wattle houses and houses with transite roofs connected by narrow alleyways. The primary road near the base of the Jaeil Church at the time was a narrow dirt road that winded back to the Hill 180 Gate (now closed) about a half-mile from the present AFOC Gate. Rev Park also remembers that the cemetery was still located up near the perimeter. On 6 Jun 1978 Hong Seok-don and Park Young-chon and Kim Pyung-moo became Elders. On 9 Oct 1981Cha Tae-shim and Hong Im-hyun and Song Hong-kyung became Elders. The church added a daycare school in 1981 situated next to the church. On 28 Sep 1988 the education building was expanded to 328 pyeong. On 5 Mar 1990 a Christian missionary school was added called the "Jaeil Missionary Kindergarten." On 5 May 1990 Jyung Kyung-hyun, Lee Bom-il, Seo Kwang-ok and Park Byeong-sup became Elders. At the same time, Song Jong-il and Lee Eum-jon honored for their work for church. Between 1981and 10 Sep 1990, Rev. Jang Kwan-woong served as the vice-Pastor. On 1 Apr 1991, Rev. Park Yong-shik honored for his work as the first Pastor of the church in 1969. Between 16 Dec 1990 and 20 Jun 1999, Rev. Chae Myung-seon served as Pastor. On 5 May 1993, Rev. Chae Myung-seon authorized as an assistant Pastor for the church. During 1993, Park Youn-i was honored for his long service as a preacher for the church. In addition, Kim Jong-shin was honored for his church work. Kim Il-shim, Kim Hwa-ja, Shin Moon-kil, Lee Yong-wal, Hong Youn-bong, Oh Myung-ae, Park Ok-soon, Lee Ok-ja, Lee Chun-ja were appointed as deacons of church. Between 1 Jul 1993 and 30 Jun 1999, Pyo Mi-sook served as woman preacher. Between 18 Sep 1994 and 2 Mar 2001, Cho Gil-ja served as a woman preacher. Between 10 Sep 1995 and 31 Dec 1998, Lee Dae-il served as the vice Pastor. On 28 Dec 1996, Song Dae-eun and Ko Jong-yong became Elders. Between 5 Oct 1997 and 2 May 1999, Jang Song-woo served as vice Pastor. On 8 Feb 1998, Jang Song-eun and Park Song-woon were honored for work as Elders. On 29 Nov 1998, the church celebrated its 40th Anniversary. On 26 Sep 1999, the church asked Pastor Hau Cha-young to preside as the Pastor of the church. On 14 Dec 1999, Lee Dae-il became the co-Pastor. On 20 May 1999, Lee Min-su, Kim Keum-dong, Kim Eung-tak, and Hau Chan-young became Elders. On 3 Dec 1999, Gu Ok-san, Kim Yong-ja, Park Yong-ae, Park Ki-man, Eum Ki-suk, Yun On-jan, Yun Yu-shin, Yu Kim-ok, Lee Song-mun, Lee Eun-jan, Kae Shin-ya, Hwang Suk-yal, Pyong Jong-ae, Park Ok-soon were inducted as deacons. On 28 Apr 2000, the Jaeil Missionary Kindergarten changed its name to Jaeil Kindergarten. On 17 Nov 2002, Kang Song-yong became the education preacher. On 29 Dec 2000, Park Buhm-yong became the Assistant Pastor. From 1 Dec 1999 to 22 Apr 2003, Kim Mi-ja worked as a women preacher. From 11 Feb 2001 to 17 Nov 2002, Park Bum-sun worked as the vice Pastor. On 16 Dec 2001, the "Imposition of Hands" (Confirmation Ceremony) was helf for Deacons (jipsa) for Kwan Hyuk-jong, Kim Bum-yong, Jo Chung-gun, Lee Jae-young, Cha Hyan-il, Lim Jae-cha. On the same date, Elder Park Byong-sook was honored. At the same time, Shin Mun-kil and Joung Song-eun retired as deacons. On 25 Feb 2002, Elder Lee Min-su retired. Deacons Hwang Soon-kil, Oh I-suk, and Lee Ioung-wal retired. On 16 Jun 2002, the interior of the church building was remodeled. On 5 Jan 2003, the DIA Songtan Jaeil Education School was built. On 23 Feb 2003, Chae Jong-suk became the Manager of the church. On 1 Mar 2003, Park Bum-yong assumed position as Senior Pastor and Church manager. On the same date, Elder Park Byong-chun was honored and Elder Lee Bang-eun retired. Deacons Shin Soon-duk and Jin Soon-ja retired. On 11 May 2003, Yun Hyu-soon became the managing teacher for the school. On 21 Dec 2003, Kim Gwan-hwae assumed work as assistant Pastor. 21 Jul 2004, Kang Ae-soon became a deacon. On 1 Jan 2005, Kang Sang-yung began work as an assistant Pastor. On 4 Dec 2005, the Chong Nae-Munghwa civic group was formed to help in community work. On 9 Dec 2005, the Vision center was built for community work.   (L) Jaeil Church (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) View from Jaeil Church to Milwal-Road. Capital Hotel now where Sejong Theater was. (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Rev. The present senior Pastor of the church, Rev. Park Buhm Yong, first served at the Jaeil Church from 1973-1977. He then formed his own church in Suwon and subsequently moved his ministry to Seoul. In 1992, he departed to perform missionary work in China and founded a Korean Church in Shanghai, the largest city in China. In 2001, he returned to the Jaeil Church to become the senior Pastor. Speaking English and Chinese, he is well-prepared to spread his message of Christian faith. He is also the president of Pan Asia Books & Media Ministries.
 Pastor Park Buhm-yong (26 Nov 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Local History: Songtan Central Presbyterian Church (1962) The Songtan Central Presbyterian Church (Songtan Jungang Kyohwi) was founded in 1962 on the present site at the top of Hobak Hill in the area known as Goo-chang-teo near the Kyongbu Railroad tracks.  The intercity bus terminal looking west. The MSR-1 runs left to right. (This area is now where the Kookmin Bank is.) Note on top of the hill on the far right is the area where the Songtan Central Presbyterian Church is located. (1971) (Edward Caler) In the photo above, we believe the building on the top right is the Songtan Central Presbyterian Church. The photo is of the bus depot located where the present Kookmin bank is located. The MSR-1 runs from left to right with Pyeongtaek to the left and Osan-ni to the right. The photo looks west towards the Hobak Hill area were the Songtan Central is located at the top of the hill next to the railroad tracks at the base of the hill. To the right just outside the photo is the road to the old Mokchon crossing that is now closed. In 1984, a new church was built on the site with the congregration services below and the Pastor's office on the second floor. Across the small parking lot are the church kitchen facilities with a day-care center above. As of 2006, the Pastor was Rev. Choi Byung-nam who resided with his family on the grounds. There are approximately 300 in the congregation (not including children) as of 2006.   Songtan Central Presbyterian Church (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Daycare Center (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Local History: Songtan Catholic Church (Saint Andrew's Church) (1965) The Songtan Catholic Church is also known as Saint Andrew's Church (Suon Andurea Church). The church is named for Saint Andrew Kim (Kim Tae-gon). He was born to the yangban nobility class and his parents were Catholic converts. His father was a martyr. Andrew was baptized at age 15, then travelled 1,300 miles to the nearest seminary in Macao. He became Korea's first native priest, and the first priest to die for the faith in Korea. He was tortured and beheaded in 1846 in Seoul. He was beatified in 1925 and canonized as a saint on 6 May 1984 by Pope John Paul II. The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by laypeople and has withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could boast of 10,000 martyrs. (Source: Patron Saints Index.)  Saint Andrew Kim (Kim Taegon) The church traces its history to the Seojong-ni Catholic Church (St. Theresa's) built in 1932. At that time, it was part of Jinwi-gun, Songtan-myeon dating back to 1914. At first there was no church in Songtan and Fr. Chae Pyong-nam (Benedicto) had responsibility for the entire area covering Pyeongtaek-shi, Shinjang-1 dong, Deogok-dong, Songbuk-dong, Jisan-dong, Jinwi-myeon, and Seotan-myeon. There were a total of 3,430 catholics in the area (male: 1,465/female: 1,965) with 1,376 Catholic households. Fr. Ryu Su-cheol (Dominicu) wanted to make a church in Songtan so on 14 Aug 1954 bought 845 pyeong at 338-3 punji (address), Shinjang-ri, Songtan-myeon. However, the land remained fallow as the church in Osan-eup (town) had its church built first in 1964. (Source: Songtan Catholic Church History) The church was founded on 22 Aug 1965 Aug 22 at 338-8 punji (address), Seojong-dong, pon-dang, Pyeongtaek-shi. The original church is what is now the office and rectory areas. The building has been modified to house the office and rectory of the church. When the church was first built, the rail spur to K-55 ran along the base of the hill and there were only rice fields in the low-lying areas.   Songtan Catholic Church Office and Rectory (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The church is located directly behind the Shinjang-1 dong house office. The total land space of the church is 1,408 pyeong of land. The interior area of the church was 299 pyeong, with the rectory covering 90 pyeong. There is a meeting room of 110 pyeong and a study room of 299 pyeong. The room for sisters is 46 pyeong with a meeting room of 25 pyeong. The church office space is 13 pyeong. At the gate to the church stands a statue of Jesus with the Sacred Heart. Inside the compound, there is an office structure where church supplies such as candles or religious objects may be purchased. In front of the church, there is a stand where candles can be lit as prayer offerings. Atop the roof of the archway in front of the church entrance is the belltower and a statue Kim Taegon (Saint Andrew Kim).   Songtan Central Presbyterian Church (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   Songtan Central Presbyterian Church (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Songtan Catholic Church as seen from the Doolittle Gate side. The railspur runs below it and the old bomb dump is to the left. After the Korean War, the population of the Songtan area steadily increased, though 70 percent of the population was located with 10 km of K-55. In 1963, Songtan-myeon became Songtan-eup (town). With many Catholics in the area and the local Catholics saw a need to buy land for a church. They bought the land in 1963 and Fr. Yun Kyong-hee (Victorino) was sent to Songtan to open the church on 22 Aug 1965. Seojong-ni St. Theresa's church split the Seojong-dong parish to create the Songtan Church. From 18 Oct 1965 to 13 Nov 1967, Fr. Kang Hwan-yu (Johan) served as the first parish priest for the church. It was a very difficult time for the area and manager (chong hae-jang) Fr. Chae Jong-mook (Mateo) took care of the charity work. The area was still blighted with poverty and the poor needed help to survive.  Fr. Kang Hwan-yu, First Parish Priest On 3 Oct 1966 the church bought another 165 pyeong near the church. In Apr 1967, another 45 pyeong was bought to expand the church area. Between 13 Nov 1967 and 9 Nov 1972, Fr. Kim Chung-min (Philippo) served as the second parish priest to the church. Fr. Chae Jong-mook (Mateo) continued his charitable work with the community. From 9 Oct 1972 to 15 Jul 1974, Fr. Cho Hwan-gil (Gregorio) served as the third parish priest. Again Fr. Chae Jong-mook (Mateo) continued his work to serve the people of Songtan. On 31 Jul 1973, the Church purchased cemetary land in Shinwang-ri, Yam-myeon, Hwaseong-gun, Kyonggi-do. The land consists of 9,300 pyeong as a Catholic cemetary. Currently about 900 people are buried there. Between 15 Jul 1974 and 18 Jun 1981, Fr. Yoon Seok-hwan (Joseph) became the fourth parish priest. He came after Songtan-myeon became a "town" as Songtan-eup (1981-1987). There were many problems as Songtan began to modernize its road systems in 1979 with the change to laying out the roads in a "grid pattern." Behind the church, a street was made that cut into the church property. All Catholics helped in raising funds for making a new church. Because of the ever increasing demands for work with the parishoners, the staff was increased to Fr. Chae Jong-mook (Mateo), Song Gi-won (Benedicto), Son Tae-shik (Peter). 10 May 1977, church built a pavilion (Kong-seo Kangdan) in Haehwa-ri Seotan-myeon. The church purchased land at 8-taun, Kumam-taun, Maduri-taun, Suweol-ami, and Haehwa-ri. Starting in 1978 till Feb 1980, Shim Cha-ja taught the children of the church. Between 8 Jun 1981and 26 Feb 1985, Fr. Bae Yong-moo (Lawrence) served as the fifth parish priest. Son Dae-shik (Baeduro) and Cho Gi-seon (Thomas), Yun Kyu-yon (Antonio) took on the responsibility of the staff. On 1 Jun 1982, made a church in Songsau, Pondang. 1,280 people moved to that church. On 28 Apr 1983, Kim Nam-su (Angelo) built a 380 pyeong church at Songsau, Pondang. From 26 Feb 1985 to 5 Dec 1990, Fr. Shim Yeong-taek (Francisco) served as the sixth parish priest. Manager Cho Gi-seon (Thomas) continued in his position. Fr. Shim Yeong-taek added the mosaic and stained glass windows to the church. On 1 Jun 1985, the church constructed a new church building for its 1,060 parishoners. The church bought the land for a small dispensary and across the street they put together the Shinyong Hyapdong Chohap office -- small bank for handling small banking needs. Between 6 Dec 1990 and 2 Feb 1994, Fr. Kim Bong-hak (Paulu) served as the seventh parish priest. Park Yong-hyun (Daniano) took over as manager for the church. In 1990, under Fr. Kim Bong-hak, they formed for the first time a choir and altar boys added to assist with the masses. In Nov 1992, the church purchased 108 pyeong to the east of the church in order to enlarge the church. From 2 Feb 1994 to 8 Feb 1995, Fr. Cheong Un-taek (Andrea) served as the eighth parish priest. Between 8 Feb 1995 and 30 Jan 1998, Fr. Ahn Seong-no (Paulo) served as the ninth parish priest. Yun Hyu-yong (Antonio); Kim Mun-han (Joseph); and Kwan Dok-chul (Paemaedito) helped with the small bank across the street from the church as well as handling the remodeling of the church buildings. On 27 Feb 1997, the Taekon kindergarten opened on Church grounds. The kindergarten remains in operation today and in 2006, it had 142 children enrolled. From 30 Jan 1998 to 29 Jan 2002, Fr. Choi Chung-yeol (Mateo) served as the tenth parish priest. The managing staff was Kong Dong-chul (Benedicto); Kim Chu-hong (Ignacio); and Chong Yong-he (Mateo). After 1999, the youth groups of the church worked tirelessly to recruit new converts. In 2000, they prayed 100 times on the rosary for the welfare of the church. At that time, Park Yong-hwan came to the church and converted 260 people. Between 29 Jan 2002 and 17 Nov 2005, Fr. Choi Kyeong-nam (Benedicto) served as the eleventh parish priest. Chong Yong-he (Mateo) remained in his position as manager and was assisted by Kwon Dok-chul (Benedicto). After 2004, Songtan Church was commended for its service to its parish by the hierarchy. In 2005, Songtan Catholic Church held its 40th year anniversary. As part of its on-going social programs, it assisted 80 senior citizens to attend university. The church erected Usula House and Luise House to provide housing for the indigent elderly. The church engaged in the building of a 1,226 pyeong church in Seotan-myeon. From 17 Nov 2005 to present, Fr. Chae Jae-pil (Andrew) has served as the twelfth parish priest. Twice a year a drive to attract converts to Catholicism is spearheaded by the youth of the church. In addition, the church is involved in many community service projects -- in addition to tending to the welfare of the Catholic parishoners. Local History: Hanil Presbyterian Church (1974) The church was built in 1973 on its present site near the top of Hobak Hill in the area known as Goo-chang-teo. It is at the end of Jeyok Road. Its unique stairwell "steeple" has remained though there have been major renovations to the frontage of the building and the addition of a bell tower on the top of the "steeple". It is located near the Songtan Central Presbyterian Church with a parking lot across the street. According to the Seongwang Church history, between 12 Feb 1972 and 9 Mar 1974, Rev. Yi Nak-hyun served as the sixth pastor of the Seongwang Church. However, on 9 Mar 1974, the Hanil Church was split away from the Seongwang Church and Rev. Yi Nak-hyun became its first pastor. As of 2006, the Pastor is Rev. Lee Kook-hyun and there are approximately 300 in the congregation (not including children).  The Hanil Church is located at the end of Shinjang Road on the rise of Goo-chang-teo. (1977) (51st FW Historian Office)   The Hanil Church (Sep 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) LIFE GOES ON AT SHINJANG MALLMain Gate RoadAfter 1955, the common name of the shanty town was "Chicoville" (Chicol Village or Chicol-ni). There was also reference to Chicol-ni as "C-rats Village" (C-rations). Some people jokingly referred to it as "Mudville" because the roads were all dirt and when it rained, it became a sea of mud. Some older residents differentiated between the Chicol-ni as the area between Main Gate and Namsan-tau, while the other "new claptrap construction" was called Chong-mun Eup (Front Gate Town). However, the usage seems to be limited and most called the entired area Chicol-ni -- including the areas up to what is now Songbuk Farmers market. Main Gate Aerial View (1957) In 1957, the dirt road ran diagonally from the Main Gate and past the house of Mr. Nam, a rich man with a big tree in his yard. Most of the "roads" after the top of Milwal-dong were simply narrow alleyways that snaked down the hill into the Shinjang 2-dong area. At the time all of the area was rice fields. A little further down the road from the Main Gate was another small alleyway that ran diagonally down the slope from the main road and basically followed the route of the present Jungang Road. The alleyway was filled with traditional Korean makoli houses or "Kyoungju" houses -- and prostitutes as well. Mr. Son Kwang-chil remembered that his mother would plead with his father -- who would go there after slaving all day with his pony carts -- to come home from the places, but he would simply blow his mother off. The alleyway snaked its way down to the Shinjang 2-dong area that was rice fields. The area surrounding this alley way was filled with flimsy wood and vinyl houses that would catch fire in a flash. In 1968, a massive fire leveled the whole area as the fire spread quickly. After the fire in 1968-1969, the houses were rebuilt with concrete in one or two story structures. (Source: Verbal conversation Kalani O'Sullivan with Son Kwang-chil, 15 July 2006) In 1976, a road was constructed up Milwal dong in 1976 after Park Chung-hee personally approved the measure due to a request by the Osan AB Commander. He stated the need for a new road -- besides what is now the Shinjang Mall Road -- to access the Main Supply Route 1 (MSR-1). Another road was then cut from the Milwal-dong road up over a new overpass to the MSR-1 to Jwa-dong at the top of the ridgeline. Mr. Oh Sun-soo and his family owned land just outside the Main Gate. The shop (GQ Tailor) and home was torn down to make way for the Milwal Road expansion. Of course, Mr. Oh Sun-soo complained that his family was not recompensed adequately -- holding up a "zero" hand sign gesture. However, the family picked up and restarted the business in a new location. Over the years, the shop has relocated a few more times and has become a landmark business in Shinjang Shopping Mall. Mr. Son Kwang-chil, the owner of Hanyang Kalbi, has been a resident of Milwal Road since 1957. He watched the small dirt road widened on both sides that cut down the houses fronting the road. It appears that during this construction, the graveyard that existed next to the perimeter fence in Milwal-dong was removed the remains were subjected to a mass cremation. Kasey Lee's Tailor: Mr. Lee Kyong-chu -- or Kasey Lee as he is commonly known as -- is the owner of the Kasey Lee Tailor Shop and in 2005, the President of the Songtan Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Songtan Merchant's Association. In 2004, he was the recipient of the USFK Friendship Award as a distinguished member who promoted friendly relations between the US and Korea. He received the award for furthering mutual respect and understanding in the Osan area. "Mr. Yi's (Lee's) personal effort has greatly improved the relationship between the Osan community and the servicemembers," said General LaPorte, USFK Commander. "His actions go beyond the normal call of civic duty as he devotes his heart to strengthening our alliance." Mr. Lee Kyong-chu (Kasey Lee) (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Mr. Lee has operated his tailor shop from 1968 and has seen many changes over the years. He explained that the trees along the frontage road in the 1980s was removed because the trees blocked the signs of the shops -- not because of any hazard. His shop used to be up closer to the gate before and he explained he liked the trees because in summer the shade kept the shop cool. However, now he needs an air conditioner.
 (Source: Pyeongtaek History (CD), Pyeongtaek Si Sa) (NOTE: Kasey Lee's Tailor Shop moved closer to the Main Gate.)
Hyon Insurance Agency Mr. Jim Price of the Hyong-Price Agency located across the alleyway from the 7-11 store, has been a fixture in the Shinjang area for many years and an invaluable source of information. He first came to Songtan while in the military in 1963 and has a wealth of knowledge of the growth of the local area from a clap-trap town to a Special Tourism Zone. His agency provides reasonable automobile insurance for American military driving in Korea. He is a past commander of the VFW Post 10216, as well as one of the few remaining members of the Tuskegee Airmen. Through his efforts the ties between the military and the local schools have been strengthened through awards programs to students. Though "slowing down" he remarked with a grin, he keeps busy with the agency and other interests.   (L) 7-11 at Shinjang Mall across from Hyon-Price Insurance (2002) (Unknown) (R) Mr. Jim Price and former Chief of Police Kim Yong-bin (2000) (Jim Price) Daehung Hotel (298-62, Shinjang) The Daehung Yaugwan (Inn) was established about 1963. At that time, it was located up near the railroad spur that intersects the Shinjang Mall Road. (In a 1966 photo, the sign for the Inn can be seen along the road with an arrow pointing towards the inn to the left as one headed toward the MSR-1.) The Daehung Inn relocated to the Shinjang Road fronting the Main Gate in 1970 and is still operated by the same owner, Mr. Hong Yang-san and his wife. The hotel has the standard shuttle to base as well as laundry service.  Outside gate walking up Shinjang Mall Road (Oct 1966) (Thomas Utts) Just ahead is the rail spur. The double telephone pole to the right was removed in 2003. This is the location of Jungangsijan(7) Road. To the right is the Shin Jin Barber Shop and a Restaurant. This was the location of the Olive Clothes Shop owned by Kang Sung-yoon in 2005. There was also the Samsong Dong watch Shop. To the left was the Daeho Inn and Daehung Inn. The sign for the Daehung Yaugwan (Inn) is seen in the 1966 photo to the left. It was established about 1963. The Daehung Inn relocated to the Shinjang Road near the Main Gate in 1970 and is still operated by the same owner, Mr. Hong Yang-san.   (L>Daehung Hotel Lobby (R) Daehung Hotel (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Lucky Shop The Lucky Shop began as the "Lucky Yongchang" (Lucky Tailor Shop) in 1978 after the street was constructed and new store fronts were built. Except for cosmetic changes, the shop is in the same location run by its owner, Choi Jae-hyun.  Shops outside Main Gate (Jan 1978) (Harry Tezlaf) (NOTE: The shop on right has sign that reads "Lucky Yongchang" (Lucky Tailor Shop). Note that building is same with picture below except for cosmetic changes.)
  2005: (L) Lucky Shop Outside Main Gate (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Lucky Shop Owner Choi Jae-hyun (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Hanyang Kalbi Mr. Son Kwang-chil, the owner of Hanyang Kalbi, has been a resident of Milwal Road since 1957. Hanyang Kalbi is a family-business and Mr. Son, his wife or one of his daughters are usually at the cash register. Hanyang Kalbi is located near the Citibank at the T-intersection leading to Shinjang Road and the overpass. Mr. Han operated a wholesale business from the same location as the restaurant starting in 1988. In 1998, Mr. Son opened the Hanyang Kalbi Restaurant in the same location. Bag Lady's Tour of Songtan states: "Han Yang Bulgogi House: Back down on the street, turn to the right. This bulgogi house will be on your right. It is one of our two favorite bulgogi houses in Songtan. You can either sit on the floor Korean style or in chairs American style. Either way you will experience some great Korean food and culture." Base Ops states: "For good Korean food, turn right out the gate and about one block down is Han Yang." Mr. Son is the son of a North Korean refugee who operated a delivery service using pony-drawn carts. According to Mr. Son, his father was head of the union for the pony operators in the area and owned seven ponies. Mr. Son provided a wealth of information of the area as a long-time resident who grew up on the hill of Milwal-dong just below the fire station. He attended Songshin Elementary School in 1965. Mr. Kim Tae-yong, 51, Manager of the On-base taxi service, a life-long resident of Songtan related the fact that he attended Songshin Elementary School with Mr. Son -- sitting at the same desk with him -- and graduating with him from the first class in 1968. Mr. Son went on to attend Hyomyeong Middle School and High School in Seojong-ni. Hyomyeong Middle School (then St. Theresa's Middle School) was founded with the donations and labor of the Catholic airmen of the Osan AB's 18th FBW in 1953. (NOTE: Mr. Son has lived in the same location since the 1950s and has been a great help in identifying the old locations on Milwal-dong.) Both he and his wife are Lion's Club members and active in community. (Source: Verbal Conversation with Son Kwang-chil translated by Nam Kyu, Korea Hotel General Manager, 18 Aug 2005)
Mr. Son requested old photos to place on his restaurant walls to show the history of the Shinjang area and Osan AB. We were more than happy to provide these photos. The photos were an instant success to the military customers who had no idea of the history of the area. Mr. Son requested more photos and again we were glad to provide them as it has stimulated an interest in the history of the area.   2006(L) Mr. Son's daughter in front of the framed historical photos (May 2006) (R) Hanyang Kalbi interior (July 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Shinjang Mall RoadLim's Brass Shop becoms Viking StoreIn 1978, Mr. Lim started Lim's Brass Shop in what became the Shinjang Mall Road. Currently Mr. Lim operates the Viking Store selling gifts and souveniers on the Mall. Shopping for brass at Lim's Brass Shop -- Girls unknown (1978) (Ken Shallenbarger)   (L) Mr. Lim of the Viking Store (R) Viking Store (R) Exterior of Viking Store on Shinjang Mall (Nov 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) GQ Tailors GQ Tailors, one of the oldest establishments outside the Osan AB Gates changed hands and moved to a new location in late 2005. It was founded by the family of Mr. Oh Sun-soo just outside the gate in 1962. The shop was on the right as you exited the gate. The shop and home was torn down to make way for the Milwal Road expansion and straightening in 1970. Park Chung-hee personally approved the measure after the Osan AB Commander stated the need for a new road -- besides the Shinjang Mall Road -- to access the Main Supply Route 1 (MSR-1) that follows the ridgeline. Of course, Mr. Oh Sun-soo complained that his family was not recompensed adequately -- holding up a "zero" hand sign gesture. However, the family picked up and restarted the business in a new location. Over the years, the shop has relocated a few more times and has become a landmark business in Shinjang Shopping Mall. Mr Oh, the owner of the Victoria Hotel and two time councilman for the area, transferred the GQ Tailor Shop ownership to his long-time manager of the shop, Mr. K.W. Yun. In Aug 2005, the shop moved to a new location on the Shinjang Mall that combines the Boston Shoe Store operation with the GQ Tailor Shop. "Mr. Bo's GQ Tailor's" received some nice remarks from the Base Ops. It stated, ""Mr. Bo's GQ" is around the corner and will custom make an A-2 flight jacket with all the trimmings (including a liner) for $140. A complete mess dress will set you back $260 (you have to provide the insignia)." 
(L) Old Shop along main street in front of Main Gate (2004) (Kalani O'Sullivan)(R) New Shop on the Shinjang Mall (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) 
(L) Mr. Oh Sun-soo (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan); (R) The new owner of GQ Tailor, Mr. K.W. Yun in front of new shop (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Mike's All Seasons Shop Mr. Kim Chu'n-kyong was the original owner of Mike's All Season Shop which he established in 1977. He sold it in 1983 and the shop has remained a fixture on the Mall ever since. The shop is well-known to frequent shoppers at the Mall because of the variety of goods that can be custom-made at the shop. Bag Lady's Tour of Songtan states: "Mike's All Seasons: Quite possibly one of the most popular merchants in Songtan, Mike carries sportswear for every fan and does wonderful customized work. He is able to make T-shirts, sweatshirts, warm-up suits, hats, coins, etc. He has an extensive clientele and good prices. He is on the web! Bring a design for him to work up (silkscreen) for special events, etc.".)
  (L) Mike's All Season Shop (2002)(Unknown) (R) 2005: Employees of Mike's All Seasons Shop: Oh Young-seok, Kim No-mi and Song Sun-young (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Mike's Arcade Mr. Kim Chu'n-kyong was the original owner of Mike's All Season Shop which he established in 1977. He sold it and started Mike's Arcade in 1983 just down the Mall. Along the way, there was a tussle over the "ownership" of the name, Mike between Mr. Kim and another merchant. Mr. Kim prevailed and the shop has been in continuous operation. Mike's Arcade is a family-operation and well-known amongst the frequent shoppers to the mall for its friendly service. Bag Lady's Tour of Songtan states: "Mike's Arcade: If you are pressed for time, and need to get some things fast--here is the place. It could be called a one stop shopping outlet. Located inside are a few areas: leatherwear, sweaters and souvenirs. One of the few places in the area to buy Korean Dolls, Mike's Arcade is located in the rear alley which hosts Mr. Lim's and Royal Bag and also on the corner of the main Shinjang Shopping Mall. Fountains are also available to purchase and usually line the side of his store in warm weather."
Ebenezer's Jewelry The Ebenezer Jewelry Store has been changed over the years as the Songwang Bag Shop, then Songwang Blanket Shop and finally the Ebenezer Jewelry Store -- though the sign says in hangul "Songwang Sa." Strangely, the sign has a biblical reference to the name, Ebenezer, printed on the store sign. (1 Samuel 7-12: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us.") The shop carries jewelry, watches and clocks. Mrs. Choi Hong-ryon shown in the 1974 photo, is now 72 and has turned the ownership of the shop over to her son. Mrs. Choi is well-known amongst the long-time residents as a "nice adjema" -- a complement indicating her giving and generous nature.
 Mrs. Choi Hong-ryon of Songwang Blanket Shop (1974) (Ken Shallenbarger)
Tai Ho Lu Restaurant Another business dating back to the 1960s is the Tai Ho Lu Chinese Restaurant that is located behind the Dong Sung Realty next to the Parking Garage. In the 1966 photo, it is directly behind the large building to the left (Jaeil Store) next to the rail spur. The current owners are Sun Shing-Shyi and his son Sun Teh-Wei. The restaurant was established by the Sun Shing-Shyi's brother in 1963. At first glance the restaurant seems modern with an automatic door opener. However, the original roof is of transite, but it has been covered by another roof that is tar-shingled. The concrete exterior was upgraded with ceramic tiles in 1983. If you open the back door of the restaurant, the rail spur is directly outside indicating the restaurant expanded out after the railspur ceased operations. The restaurant is well-known to the local populace and its having survived for over 40 years in the same location is the best testimonial as to the quality of its food. Large servings at a modest price -- not fancy, but tasty and filling. The restaurant is both an in-house and delivery restaurant. In cold weather, we like to stop by and order the "Udon" (noodles) for 4,000 won for a filling dish.   2005: (L) Tai Ho Lu Restaurant near Railspur; (R) Sun Teh-Wei and mother Oscar Beauty Shop Becomes Dong Sung Realty The Oscar Beauty Shop remained in operation until 2002. It was located near the railroad spur that crosses the Shinjang Mall just in front of the Tail Ho Lu Chinese Restaurant. Currently the Dong Sung Realty Office is situated in the building. The owner Mr. Kwon Oh-hoon is a licensed realtor who has operated in the Songtan area since 1985, but moved to the location in 2003. One can see that this building was one of the original structures as one has to step DOWN to enter the building. Over the years, the road has been built up so that one must step down to enter the office. The original owners resided upstairs, but it is no longer used. The office is typical of the 1960s construction with concrete wall and corrugated transite (asbestos/concrete) roof. Living quarters were located above the store, but is now blocked off. The Mall side has a false front but behind it one can see the corrugated iron roofing added later.   2005: (L) Dong Sung Realty (R) Mr. Kwon Oh-hoon, owner of Dong Sung Realty.  Outside gate walking up Shinjang Mall Road (Oct 1966) (Thomas Utts)
Universal Art: The Universal Art Shop is owned by Mr. Kang Shin-kol, 73, who moved to Chicol Village in 1955. He opened the Art Shop in 1956. The shop remains a family-run operation with his son working there as well. The shop contains numerous affordable Korean prints and art works specifically geared for the American trade. The variety ranges from traditional pieces to modern art works. The art work in the shop are primarily prints -- either framed or unframed. The friendly employees speak English and can explain the Korean art pieces to the American customer.  Mr. Kang proved to be an invaluable resource for his wealth of knowledge of the area. Over this years, Mr. Kang has seen Chicol Village expand into what was simply called "Songtan" -- though it progressed from Songtan-myeon (district) to Songtan-eup (town) to Songtan-shi (city) and then incorporation into Pyeongtaek. He remembered the old main gate before the other roads and overpass were built in 1978. He has seen the changes that the road leading to the MSR-1 (Tanhyun Road) changed from a dirt road to a oil-soaked road to a macadam road to what it is now. Mr. Kang was a great help in identifying areas within the Shinjang Mall area such as pointing out that the owners of many long-gone shops. Mr. Kang was also helpful in identifying the areas during the poverty stricken times of the 1960s and early 1970s that has been all but forgotten. (Source: Verbal Conversation between Kalani O'Sullivan and Mr. Kang Shin-kol, 18 Jun 2006.) An interesting friend of the Universal Art Gallery is Kwon Kum-soon, a housewife, whose family was originally from Seoul. They fled southward from the North Korean invasion and arrived in the Songtan area in 1951. It is obvious that her family was one of those that missed the last train out of Seojong-ni that departed loaded with refugees to Taegu just hours before the main body of North Koreans arrived. The North Koreans simply swept through the area and did not remain in the impoverished villages as they pushed south towards the Pusan Perimeter. She and her family have remained in the area ever since -- settling in the Namsan-tau area. Over the past fifty years, she has seen many changes in Songtan and the Shinjang Mall area. Her identification of the 1954 & 1956 photos of the Yong-chon Hotel Spring provided the verification we needed to positively identify the spring. (Source: Verbal Conversation between Kalani O'Sullivan and Ms. Kwon Kum-soon, 18 Jun 2006.) Nolbo Chip Restaurant: The Nolbo Chip Restaurant is owned by Mr.Shin Chan-ho, 67, who moved to Chicol Village in 1969. He opened the Nolbo Chip Restaurant in 1985. The restaurant is a popular family restaurant with excellent service in a good location. The shop serves spicy traditional Korean fare toned down slightly for the American tastes. It's located next to the Golden Gate Club. Mr. Kang was a great help in identifying areas within the Shinjang Mall area such as pointing out that the owners of many long-gone shops. In reviewing the old photographs of the area, he was able to identify many buildings and owners. (Source: Verbal Conversation between Kalani O'Sullivan and Mr. Kang Shin-kol, 18 Jun 2006. We wish to thank Mr. Kim Tae-yong, 51, Manager of the On-base taxi service, a life-long resident of Songtan for his help in translating for Mr. Kang. Mr. Kim grew up in the Shinjang Mall area and in fact attended Songshin Elementary School with Mr. Son of Hanyang Kalbi -- graduating from the first class in 1968.)   Mr. Shin's family lives on the top floor of the building behind a locked gate. As one enters his home, he proudly pointed out the calligraphy of former Presidents, including Kim Young-sam. An avid collector, we marveled at his collection of calligraphy dating back 400 years and more. The calligraphy is considered a high form of art and his collection is most impressive in its diversity and historic value. These pieces cover all the walls of his home and spills over into another area where he is planning to build a display room. Interspersed with the calligraphy are old ink drawings of various subjects that appear to be very old -- some approximately 400 years old. He is also a collector of "life stones" -- Korean stones naturally formed into interesting shapes or representations of animate things. The collection fills a shelf on one wall. On another shelf, he has some very rare stones that were naturally formed into the shape of Korea -- along with some humorous shapes of animals and other things. On the rooftop, another of Mr. Shin's hobbies, wild orchids, are proudly arranged in neat rows under a covered area. Over the past 25 years, Mr. Shin has climbed the mountains to bring back prized varieties of wild orchids. To most Americans, Korean wild orchids look like grass, but they are very expensive and prized for displays in Korean homes. However, it is an avocation that requires great skill in identifying the plants in the mountains and patience in nuturing these hardy plants in a city environment. Mr. Shin was honored by having one variety of these wild orchids named after him, the Shin Chan-ho orchid. Arranged neatly in rows, Mr. Shin proudly showed off his orchids different varieties explaining the variations of leaves of different varieties from leaves tinged with yellow (like a forest snake) to others with variegated leaves.  Peace Music Shop: The Peace Music shop is a family-owned business with the owner, Yang Tu-sup and his two sons. Mr. Yang was born in Pyeongtaek and founded the show in 1971 next to the Stereo Club. It moved to its present location in 1978 next to the Yongchon Alley. The store carries a large variety of electric and acoustic guitars as well as amplifiers -- and a full assortment of musical supplies. It's easy to find the shop by the acoustic guitar music that is played from the store on the mall.    Victoria Hotel: The Victoria Hotel was renovated in 1999. There are 30 rooms and the hotel offers the standard amenities of shuttle service. The Victoria Hotel received some very nice remarks from the Base Ops rating it a "Nice Hotel." It stated, "We stayed at the Victoria Hotel and were very impressed with the friendly staff. They didn't have any beer in the fridge in the lobby so they actually went out and brought us free beer at 1 in the morning despite it being –10 C outside. The front desk staff is more than happy to have food delivered for you. Command Post can get you a phone patch (661-7000); it wasn't listed on the card in our rooms. Making calls is a big pain in the butt. The hotel is located smack-dab in the middle of all the shopping." It went on, "The front desk has a little book of the places that deliver. Victoria Hotel was nice. Rooms are clean and well maintained. The A/C works this is very useful during Monsoon season. Centrally located to all shopping, night life and four blocks to the base front gate. Hotel has free drinks in a refrig in the lobby, water soda and beer for the guests. The owner walked to freedom with his Mother across the border from the Evil North when he was a child. Reliable Hotel shuttle van to the base." (NOTE: Mr. Oh denied this story of coming from North Korea. The family is originally from Are Konji-ni near the Songbuk Elementary School according to Mr. Oh. (Source: Verbal Conversation between Kalani O'Sullivan and Oh Sun-soo, 18 Jun 2006.) Mr. Oh Sun-soo is the owner of Victoria Hotel and the former owner of the GQ Tailors established in 1962. Mr. Oh is a two-time councilman for the area and highly respected member of the community. Born in the village of Are Konji-ni (Lower Konji Village) in the Songbuk-dong area, he is one of the most knowledgable persons on the early history of the area. The family moved to right across from the Main Gate and established the GQ Tailors. However, when the government expanded the roads in 1976, his family's property was "expropriated" -- meaning they were given a pitiance for the land. Mr. Oh stated that the money received for the land was not enough to purchase new lodgings and the family took a loss. Over the years, his family acquired the Victoria Hotel and operated in the same location for over forty years. Some may remember that the VFW Post 10216 used to be located in the basement of the Victoria Hotel for many years before it relocated to the Pacific Hotel.  Now retired, the day-to-day management of the Victoria hotel is in the care of Mr. Oh's son, but he still can be found at the main desk as he has for years. He and his family live on the premises.  Yong Chon AlleyYong Chon Tourist Hotel (304-14, Shinjang) The oldest continuous establishment in the Shinjang area is the Yongchon Hotel which can trace its roots to a bathhouse established in 1953. The spring was one of three in the area. (NOTE: We first questioned the photo as we had other photos of a spring next to the perimeter. We now know that there was a second spring located in the rice fields across the present Jae Yok Road (near Hobak Road). We learned in 2006 that there was a third spring located under the present Arnold Palmer Golf Shop)The spring could be seen as one walked up the road to the MSR-1. At first the spring was open, but later it was fenced off. (SITE NOTE: In our interviews with local Koreans, we found that the desperately poor who lived in the area could not afford even the small prices for the Yongchon Bathhouse and would gather during summer in Milwal-dong in a valley (near the commissary) for the base laundry at the top of the Milwal-dong hill to discharge its water.) Behind the hotel front desk, the wall paper depicts the photo of the spring well with a fence around it. As the Shinjang Mall expanded the spring was capped as is said to be directly below the Yong Chon Hotel in the underground parking garage of the hotel.  Spring (1954) (Walter Faulkner)  Spring (1956) (Jeong Tae-ho) The Young chon Hotel has a restaurant, coffee shop, and night club. The banquet facilities are on the second floor. There is a swimming pool and parking in the annex across the street. It has the standard amenities of shuttle bus service and internet. In the 1977 photo below, the Yong Chon Hotel is the first building on the right. There was a small bar row in the alleyway next between the hotel and the next building. The next buidling belongs to Mr. Kim Sang -do whose family resided on the third floor. The Hilltop Club is the bar to the right. It was leveled when the Jae Yok Road was extended to Plaza Road. Across the street from the Yong Chon Hotel, the Yong Chon Annex parking garage was built. Mr. Jong Tae-ho is semi-retired acting as the President of the Yong Chon Hotel and leaves the day-to-day operation of the hotel to his son, Jong Yeon-hong. As a long time resident of the area, he has a wealth of information on the community's growth and we appreciate his assistance. (SITE NOTE: We also wich to thank Mr. K.S. Choi, General Manager, for his assistance with the history inputs.)  Looking Up Young Chon Hotel Alley (1977) (51st FW Archives) (NOTE: The Yong Chon Hotel is the first building on the right with the Yong Chon Western Restaurant. The sign reads "Hotel Yong Chon Lang." Where the Oriental Antique Company is in the photo, is now the Shinjang Shopping Mall.)
 
2005: (L) Young Chon Hotel (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Young Chon Hotel Staff: (Left to Right) Kim Han-sik, K.S. Choi (Manager); Ma Ki-ben; Jong Yeon-hong (owner) (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Kim Sangdol Electronics Shop (Yongchon Pi-Pi) Another long-time resident of Songtan is Kim Sang-do who operates a small electronics shop (Yongchon Pi-Pi) next to the Yong Chon Hotel and whose family resides on the third floor of the same building. He remembers how the Hilltop Club, a fixture in Songtan for many years, was torn down to make way for the constructon of Jae Yok Road running through the rear of the Shinjang Mall and the expansion of the area. Jae Yok Road joined the Yong Chon Alleyway.  Looking Down Yong Chon Hotel Alley (1976) (Harry Tezlaf) (NOTE: The Yongchon Hotel is on the immediate right. Next is Kim Sang-do's home on the left on the third floor. To the right of the photo at the intersection is the Hilltop Club which has been demolished to expand Jaeyok Road.)  2005: Kim Sang-do, owner small electronics repair shop, and Jong Tae-ho, President Young Chon Hotel (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Aragon AlleyChon Kwang Dang Jewelry and Cho Pharmacy Down near Aragon Alley, Mr. Yi Eun-hak started the Chon Kwang Dang Jewelry Shop in 1962. Right next door, Mr. Cho Hoon started the Cho Pharmacy in 1965. These two shops are the only remaining original shops along Aragon Alley. The Tong Shim Inn was torn down and replaced by the Korea Hotel in 1987. All of the shops to the rear of the photo have been torn down.
  (L) Shinjang Mall area (2002) (Unknown) (R) 2005: (L) Chon Kwang Dang Jewelry on Aragon Alley; (R) Mr. Yi Eun-hak, owner of Chon Kwang Dang Jewelry Shop (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (NOTE: Chon Kwang Dang Jewelry Shop established in 1962. In foreground left in picture above.)   2005: (L) Cho Pharmacy on Aragon Alley (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Mr. Cho Hoon, owner of Cho Pharmacy (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (NOTE: Cho Pharmacy established in 1965. On left with "Yak" (drug) sign in picture above.) Korea Hotel: (302-48, Shinjang) The Korea Hotel was established in 1987 on the site of a Korean yaugwan (inn), the Tong Shim Inn. The owner of the Korea Hotel is Mr. Chun Hun and the General Managers are Yi Yong-hyon and Nam Kyu. There are 65 rooms and the hotel provides the standard amenities of shuttle service and free internet computer to its guests. There is a game room/recreation center for the guests in the lobby area. Downstairs there is a nightclub, The Korea Hotel Club.  Mr. Nam Kyu, General Manager (May 2006) (SITE NOTE: We want to express our appreciation to Mr. Nam Kyu for his help in helping to translate for us in our interview with Mr. Son Kwang-chil, the owner of Hanyang Kalbi in Nov 2005.)   2005: (L) Korea Hotel in Aragon Alley (R) Yi Yong-hyon, General Manager (22 Jan 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Rodeo AlleyOB Makju and Chicken Bar to Twin Blanket Shop Mr. Kim Young-hi used to own the OB Makju and Chicken bar to right of the 1978 photo above. The bar was established in 1978. Afterwards, Mr. Kim established the Twin Blanket Shop in 1985 near the same location.
 Rodeo Alley (1978) (Thomas Utts)   (L) Rodeo Alley (2002) (Unknown) (R) 2005: Mr. Kim Young-hi, owner of Twin Blanket Shop. (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) From a Shop on Aragon Alley to My Shop My Shop is located in the basement area of a building to the left just as you enter Rodeo Alley from the Shinjang Mall. The shop is primarily clothing for younger people and is a family operation with Mr. Park Young-sim as the owner. Prior to this shop in 1974, Mr. Park operated a shop on Aragon Alley at the end of the lane.   2005: (L) Looking up the street to the Opera Club. (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Mr. Park Young-sim, owner of My Shop on Rodeo Alley, with daughter and grandson (2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Jungang Market Road AreaRose Hotel: (302-174, Shinjang Old road on right Behind Koreana restaurant Front of Crown hotel) The Rose Hotel was established in 1982. The owner of the Rose Hotel is Mr. Kim Se-hwan. There are 27 rooms and the hotel provides the standard amenities of shuttle service and free coffee to its guests. Rose Hotel (1984) (Mike Dunnagan) Kim Se-hwan is a long-time resident of the area for over 50 years and his knowledge of the area has proved invaluable. He helped to confirm the existence of a second spring on the other side of Jeyok Road back in the late 1950s. We appreciate his help in attempting to clarify many questions about the history of the area.   (L) Rose Hotel (R) Kim Se-hwan, owner of Rose Hotel (22 Jan 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Garden Hotel: (299-20, Shinjang 1-dong Across the street from Asia hotel) The Garden Hotel was established in 1980 after the Songtan area was upgraded after the massive reconstruction of 1978. The owner of the Garden Hotel is Mr. Chun Hun. There are 24 rooms and the hotel provides the standard amenities of shuttle service and free internet computer to its guests.   2005: (L) Garden Hotel. (R) Chun Hun, owner (22 Jan 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) New Seoul Hotel: (300-5, Shinjang 1-dong before overpass) The New Seoul Hotel was established in 1980, but completely remodeled in 2004. It is located on the left of the road just before the Shinjang Mall Overpass.  New Seoul Hotel undergoing Remodeling (2003) (RAO, Jack Terwiel) (NOTE: According to Jack, distortion due to camera pan angle -- not construction.) The owner, Ms. Kim, stated that the 28 rooms come with kitchenettes. Some of the rooms are equipped with a jacuzzi and steam sauna. The hotel provides the standard amenities of shuttle service and free coffee to its guests, as well as internet and laundry service. In speaking with Ms. Kim, it was evident that she was quite proud of her facilities and the service provided to her guests -- stressing the extra items the hotel provides such as food service at all hours.   (L) New Seoul Hotel (R) Ms. Kim of New Seoul Hotel (22 Jan 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) In addition to owning the hotel, Ms. Kim also owns the Queen Massage Club -- which is NOT the unseemly variety most hear of -- that is located near Main Gate and supposedly has received excellent reviews from the base personnel for the quality of the massage services.  Front Desk and Internet computers for guests (22 Jan 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Shinjang 2-dongChunil Hotel merges with Asia Hotel On Dec 1978 the Chunil Hotel opened with 33 beds. In 1979, the Chunil Hotel signed an Accommodation Services Contract with Osan Air Base. In 1997 Asia Hotel Opened -- though some sources say Feb 1998. (297-65, Shinjang 2-dong New road on right) In 2004, the Chunil Hotel merged with the Asia Hotel. In Sep 2004 the hotel expanded to 88 room. According to the owner, Mr. Kim Jae-won, there were a lot of hassles dealing with the expansion of the parking lot and the expansion project.  (L) Chun-Il Hotel Facelift from Rear (2003) (R) Chun-Il Hotel Facelift Complete (11 Nov 2003) (RAO, Jack Terwiel)  Chun-Il Hotel Facelift from the Street (2003) (RAO, Jack Terwiel) In Dec 2004, it was registered as the Asia Tourist Hotel. The hotel has fine accommodations, shuttle service and all the amenities expected of a Tourist Hotel. (NOTE: To qualify as a "Tourist Hotel" the hotel must have off-street parking.) There is a restaurant for breakfast, coffee shop lounge, cozy night club, 24 hour business center and private conference rooms. (See Asia Hotel for details of hotel. This site features an exceptional map of the area.) The Asia Hotel receives a "Nice Hotel" rating from the Base Ops. It stated, "The Asia Hotel (031-664-2367) is definitely one of the better hotels at Osan. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Rooms are good, pretty roomy with small kitchenettes that have a sink, microwave, and full refrigerator. TV/VCR combo in all rooms. If you have a LAN card with your laptop computer, they have some rooms with free broadband internet access. They've also got two computers in the lobby for guests to surf, check e-mail, etc. It's close to the main gate and within easy stumbling distance of the bars. If you need to do laundry, the staff will give you a laundry sack & do your laundry for you." When we were house-hunting at Songtan in Sep 2004. We stayed at the Asia Hotel while the renovations were taking place in the hotel making it a little inconvenient. We were pleased with the service -- but we simply wanted a place to stay. We snuck our Maltese in because it was too cold to leave her in the car -- and the staff didn't say anything so we were grateful. Later we recommended it to a retiree friend and he was very pleased with the service.  Outside gate looking towards the vehicle overpass construction in 1978. The Chunil Hotel was at the end of the street to the left, near the current location of the Asia Hotel (1978) (Harry Tezlaf) The owner, Mr. Kim Jae-won, previously was employed at the Base Housing Office. His parents started the Chunil Hotel which was located a short distance away from the present Hotel. As a long-time resident of Songtan, he has a wealth of knowledge about Songtan's history -- and a map of the Shinjang Mall area found on many websites was drawn Kim Jae-won. We appreciate his assistance with this history. He attended Songbuk Elementary School as a youngster and remembers walking past the Jeomchon area on his way to school and seeing many kilns in the area. He suspected that these had been converted to pottery manufacturing after the use of charcoal was replaced by charcoal briquettes -- cylindrical charcoal with holes in the center made of pulverized charcoal in the late 1960s. (Source: Verbal Conversation with Mr. Kim Jae-won, owner of Asia Hotel, on 26 Sep 2005.) In his later years, he attended schools in Suwon and Seoul. In the late 1970s, Songtan housing expanded into this area and the kilns shut down and people forced to relocate. After Songtan became a city, the new city hall was built in the area and the area leveled for construction of low-rise apartments and that start of the business center of the new city.   (R) Mr. Kim Jae-won, owner of the Asia Hotel, in front of the Asia Hotel. (Sep 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (L) Asia Hotel (Jan 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)
Pak's Toy and Doll Shop Park Chong-su is a life-long resident of Songtan who possesses a wealth of knowledge of the local area. His memories of the 1960s include in the playing in the Jisan stream next to the bridge leading to the back gate. At that time the water was more plentiful and there was a swimming hole where the children would play. This would be the Jisan Stream wending its way past the railroad tracks on its way to the river. These swimming holes were in the Namsan-teo area.
 Mr. Pak Chong-su at his Toy Store (Feb 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Mr. Park operates his store next to the Asia Hotel, but will also be found on weekends with a stall set up on the Shinjang Mall next to the Main Gate -- when the weather is nice. (If he's not outside, check the K2 Plaque Shop.) The Toy Shop contains hobby supplies, models, wood-block toys and other popular toys for children and grownups. We bought two air pistols at very reasonable prices from his stall-- one pump and one battery repeater -- that shoot plastic BBs for plinking cans in summer while waiting for fish to bite. The other popular item with GIs is the remote control cars. He also operates a concession stand on the BX mall for toys. It is located near the restrooms and features the popular radio controlled helicopters and cars -- along with some unusual toys (but no bb pistols as they are illegal on base).   (L> Park Chong-su (R) Park Chong-su and Mr. Lim of Viking Store (Nov 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Korea Realty and Ace Realty Korea Realty is located near the Asia Hotel on the road leading to the overpass. Korea Realty was founded by Ahn Jung-uk in 2001 and moved to its current location in 2004. Ace Realty is located on Namsan Village Road just past the intersection of Jeyok Road. Though Korea Realty and Ace Realty do not fall under our criteria of "long-time business" in the Shinjang area, we felt that they should be included because of the special service they provided.   (L) Alex Chung (Korea Realty) and Won Yu-hyung (Ace Realty) at our old apartment; (R) Grace Kim at Korea Realty office (Mar 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan) We found a place to live at what I considered a reasonable price after unsatisfactory service using a Korean realtor. The sticking point with the Korean realtor was that we were being shown some very unsatisfactory apartments -- for prices that I was not willing to pay for a rat-trap apartment in a bad location. After two months of looking at nothing but trash, we gave up in disgust on using their services as our lease expiration date was fast approaching. I sought out Korea Realty to see what they had. Under the American rental system, they do not use the Korean "key money" system, but rather a US system of one month's rent with one month deposit. Another difference between a Korean realtor and those working with Americans is that Korean agents collect a commission from BOTH the leasee and lessor. However, the US-style agencies are only paid a commission by the lessor. I told Alex Chung of Korea Realty what size I wanted and the floor I wanted it on -- and of course price range. I was already aware of the liabilities associated with my request and what to expect. Thus when he came back with an apartment fitting my description on short notice, I was rather surprised. They were willing to make special arrangements dealing with our short-notice move. We were very pleased with the service Alex Chung of Korea Realty and Won Yu-hyung of Ace Realty performed in finding a furnished 4-bedroom apartment. As we had all our own furniture including refrigerators and freezers, we also appreciated how Mr. Chung and Mr. Won were willing to work with us in retaining some of the furniture, while taking out the rest. Though the vinyl floor was marked with crosses and some promised improvements were never done, we're still satisfied. The location is ideal -- meaning it is near the gate to get to the small grocery store across the street and is situated next to a complex plaza with an artesian spring. The negative is that the apartment doesn't like dogs -- which happened AFTER we moved in. We had to register our dog with the threat that if there were complaints we'd have to get rid of her. Many dog lovers in the apartment complex have muttered about relocating. However, the slight inconvenience is outweighed by the ideal location close to restaurants and store and surroundings that we love. Other realtors in the area I'm sure provide the identical type of service as Korea Realty and Ace Realty as they all use the same listings. Go to Korea Sahwe under "Housing" for a listing of other agencies in the Shinjang Mall area. The agencies in the Shinjang Mall area dealing in rentals to Americans are: Ace Realty (Namsan-teo Road), Co and Co Realty (Near Bravo Gate), Century 21 (Main Gate Road), Dong Sung Realty (Shinjang Mall), Han Mi Realty Agency (Main Gate Road), Korea Realty (Overpass Road), Osan Realty (Jeyok Road) and Sun Realty (Main Gate Road). Prince Hotel The Prince Hotel (274-273, Shinjang 2-dong) was constructed in 1988. The Prince Hotel received some nice remarks from the Base Ops rating it a "Nice Hotel." It stated, "Prince hotel is a four star hotel only a few blocks from the main gate." The Hotel has a bar downstairs and provides the standard amenities of bus shuttle and internet to its guests. The hotel has a restaurant, public bath and parking.  Area right in front of Prince Hotel. (NOTE: Prince hotel built in 1988.) The Chong Su Tan Bathhouse chimney is seen. (Circa late 1970s) (51st FW Archives)  (L) (R) 2005: Corner Prince Hotel to left with fruit stand across the street (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   2005: (L) Area right in front of Prince Hotel. (Circa late 1970s) (51st FW Archives) (R) Prince Hotel Staff: Kwon Oh-so and Chae Kwi-yong-; (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Chong Su Tan Bathhouse The Chong Su Tan Bathhouse has been in the same location since the 1970s. (NOTE: The Chong Su Tan Bathhouse chimney can be seen in the 1970s photo above under Prince Hotel.) The small Chong Su Tan Bathhouse underwent renovations in 2005. The typical Korean-style bathhouse is small and mainly for local area residents.   2005: (L) Chong Su Tan Bathhouse (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Street across from Prince Hotel looking toward Mall area (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Songtan Tourist Hotel The Songtan Tourist Hotel was built in 1978 after the major reconstruction of the infrastructure in the area. The new overpass was built in 1978 and the Songtan Hotel was right at the base of the overpass. For many years stood unchallenged as the best hotel in Songtan. Soon other hotels were built in the area that challenged its supremacy. However, the service of the Songtan Tourist Hotel still is what attracts many old guests back to the hotel. The hotel offers the same amenties as the other hotels with shuttle bus service and internet. The hotel's 57 guest rooms and suites along with spacious and well equipped banquet facilities for large affairs. Restaurant, Coffee Shop, Karaoke Conference Room (50 guests), Banquet Hall(300 guests). New central airconditioning and heating system installed. For information on hotel services, Click Here.   2005: (L) Songtan Tourist Hotel (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (R) Songtan Hotel Front Desk Ms. Choi (Aug 2005) (Kalani O'Sullivan)     Songtan: (Top L) Railroad tracks looking north (Notice the Shinjang Rail Overpass in distance. The large building in the top left is the Songtan Tourist Hotel built in 1978.); (Top R) Hanil Church's steeple is evident across from overpass. (Bottom L) Milwal Road in Shinjang-2 dong with Seojong (later Jungang) Theater at top of hill. Large buildings below it are the Songshin Elementary (right), Taegwang Middle School (middle) and Pokchang Elementary School (left) (Bottom R) Hill 180 with houses spread all the way up the hill. (1985) (Songbuk Elementary School) 
Songtan Parking along the streets (2005) (Pyeongtaek Times)
SHINJANG MALL: AMERICAN OFF-BASE BAR CULTURE
Shinjang Mall Bars (2005) (Pyeongtaek Times) See Osan Guide.com -- Click on red dots to see some of the Songtan bars with information and pics from USFK Classifieds. January 2006Change to UCMJ by Executive Order: Soliciting an Offense The Stars and Stripes on 8 Jan announced that patronizing a prostitue was now a specific crime. In Oct 2004 with great fanfare, the DOD announced that it was writing a new change to the UCMJ. It went to the judicial review in Dec 2004 with expectation that it would be implemented in Mar 2004. Without fanfare, the changes to the UCMJ were submitted to the Congress in Apr 2005. Nothing more was heard of it -- until now. What makes this unique is that this change is publicized as being based on an Executive Order -- not the UCMJ -- that makes prostitution and pandering specific offenses. The DOD supposedly made the change as part of its effort to combat human trafficking by taking on the sex exploitation industry, as set forth in a December 2002 National Security Presidential Directive. (SITE NOTE: The President has consistently taken a hard line on human trafficking, but Congressional confirmation on the UN human trafficking protocols is still pending -- after years of waiting.)Now Department of Defense has specifically made it a crime for a servicemember to patronize a prostitute. The punishment: up to a year in prison, forfeiture of pay and dishonorable discharge. Our question remains -- if the DECEMBER 2002 Directive is the basis, why is it taking effect in JANUARY 2005? But then we get confused with statements that "the formal order came in an Oct. 14 (2005) presidential executive order" and again we have the same question. We are not certain of the exact date from press reports. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) But the big question is why are the press releases using the Presidential Directive as the justification when the amended UCMJ that was submitted to Congress in April 2005 should be the justification? (SITE NOTE: We have NOT seen the new Article 134 change in print, but most certainly in the coming months it will appear in the press. Previously the UCMJ covered prostitution (by a military member); pandering (as a pimp by a military member); and the adultery provisions. However, solicitation as a "John" was not covered. This is why the USFK used the Article 92 (Failure to Obey a Legal Order) and adultery (if applicable) along with non-judicial punishment as the catch-all.The draft was submitted to Congress in April 2005. DoD Proposed Amendments to UCMJ Submitted to Congress on April 7, 2005 addressing sex offense specifications does NOT contain the Article 134 change. However, under "Additional Military Sex Offenses" in Part IV, MCM, "Punitive Offenses" multiple paragraphs were combined. It stated that under "Sex-Related Offenses." it collected "sex-related offenses into one article including adultery, consensual sodomy that is prejudice to good order and discipline, prostitution, patronizing a prostitute, pandering, public intercourse/sodomy, sexual act. A crime if prejudicial to good order and discipline or service discrediting. Additional sex-related offense such as indecent acts, indecent exposure, indecent language, wrongful cohabitation, fraternization, & indecent liberties with a child |
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