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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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1970s View of Osan AB (USAF Photo) SONGTAN EVENTSJanuary 2008First light dusting of snow amidst bitter cold (Dec 2007-Jan 2008) The beginning of December saw the first light dusting of snow -- and rain. But for me, it was evident that the old car had trouble starting in cold weather -- being deisel, it's by nature hard starting in the cold. Thus I park the car where the morning sun hits it to give it a fighting chance before the battery runs down. In the first week of December, the temperatures dropped below freezing -- but it seemed much more severe than the temperatures indicated. Because of the humidity and wind, the chill factor was below freezing. In my office, I had to run both the LPG gas heater AND the halogen heater -- and my hands were still freezing. Took a while to heat that small space up. Left Shelly, my dog, at home because she just got a haircut before the cold snap and she's shivering with this cold.On 30 Dec, there was a rare yellow dust alert along with falling temperatures. As of late 30 Dec, dust levels were under 100 micrograms per cubic meter of air at all U.S. bases except those in the Pyeongtaek area, including Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base. Those bases had a count of about 125 micrograms, but the exact number wasn't posted on the 18th MEDCOM site. Medical officials long have warned that the dust particles, measuring one to 10 microns, aggravate bronchitis and cause pinkeye, sinusitis and ear infections. Heavy snow alerts, expecting over 20 centimeters of snow, were issued in South and North Jeolla provinces and Gwangju. Lighter snow advisories, amounting to about 5 centimeters or more snow, were also given to regions in South Chungcheong Province and some coastal regions -- Jeju, Ulleungdo and Dokdo. The most amount of snow -- 15 to 30 centimeters -- was expected in the Jeolla Province. Up to 10 centimeters of snow was projected to fall on some parts of Jeju, Ulleung-do and Dokdo. On 30 Dec, morning temperatures dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius at the lowest and the daytime temperature ranged between minus 4 degrees Celsius and 4 degrees Celsius. On 29 Dec, I went out to the parking lot to drive my daughter and her friend, Jean, to the train station to go to Kunsan and the old junker had a terrible time starting up. The colder it gets the worse the agony of trying to crank the motor over. With the temps falling below freezing, it is rough to get it started. Unfortunately, the cold snap made transportation a nightmare in Kunsan. Thus Boram didn't get to enjoy getting together with all her friends. It had about two feet of snow on the ground and in Kunsan, this means that people don't move outside of their houses. With the wind, the chill factor gets below zero in a hurry.     Jisan-dong Streets (31 Dec 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Cold Snap Continues into New Years (1 Jan 2008) Though many of my students were on "vacation" with their parents, started my classes on 2 Jan. The weather was so cold that my hands were frozen in my classroom until it got heated up. This bitter cold got hard to tolerate -- and even with the gas heater and electric halogen heater, it still was darn chilly. Another cold snap in mid-Jan (Jan 2008) Another cold snap hit for about a week in mid-Jan with temperatures below freezing even during the days. Upstairs water dripped down the outside of the building and formed a pretty icicle display on the kitchen window. The bad thing is my clunker didn't want to start and because of the excessive amount of drain on the battery, I had to have the garage come and jump start it once. Then the weather warmed up around the 19th of Jan, but the snow started falling in the surrounding provinces. As to Seoul and Songtan, the snow seemed to bypass us -- at least for a little. First Significant Snow of New Year (11 Jan 2008) Less than 2 inches of snow wreaked havoc on 11 Jan, slowing traffic to a crawl, sending civilians home early and causing several accidents. Osan Air Base received half an inch of snow -- though it piled up in drifts. The Korea Meteorological Administration’s belated warning of heavy snow caused a delay in spreading calcium chloride on roads, leading to accidents. (SITE NOTE: The KMA has been have trouble with their predictions for the past year. Last year they predicted snow and none came -- and this year, they didn't and it showed up.) Major roads in and around the capital area saw heavy traffic in the morning yesterday, with cars driving at an average speed of 10 to 20 kilometers an hour. In the morning in Songtan, the streets were slushy from the snow fall and all the hills roads were very slick. Some steep inclines were blocked off. Road conditions were amber through early afternoon and were downgraded to green at 12:15 p.m. -- and started to melt away by afternoon. It snowed a little on the night of 11 Jan, but was all melted off by mid-morning of the 12th. The temperatures were predicted to fall below zero in the following week -- but no snow storms. Yet another cold snap at end of Jan (Jan 2008) Another cold snap occurred at the end of January and again the icicles formed outside my kitchen window. Though the temperatures were below freezing, it was the wind that made being outside miserable with the resultant wind chill factors. Freezing weather was forecast to continue into February, but it seemed to warm up a bit around the 28th of Jan into the 30s F range. However, the temperatures remained below freezing into mid-February with the winds making it seem really bad at times. Figured out that the icicles in front of the kitchen window was being caused by a leak from the 2nd floor apartment. It is not leaking down the interior walls, but instead leaking outside from just above the kitchen window. The leak is not a great running leak but sort of a drip -- but enough to form an icicle from the top of the window to the bottom sill. Told the gate man to tell the folks upstairs, but haven't seen anything done so far -- probably because it will be expensive to rip up the floor in the kitchen. (SITE NOTE: They finally got around to repairing the leak after the Solnal holiday. The icicles are now gone.)     Snowfall at Songtan (26 Feb 2008) Military warns Seoul dust at unhealthy levels (Jan 2008) Dust in the air climbed to levels deemed by military medical officials to be unhealthy for children and senior citizens, according to South Korean and U.S. military meteorological data on 7 Jan. The young, elderly and people with respiratory illness are considered “high risk” and should not exercise outdoors at dust levels above 200 parts per million per cubic meter of air, according to the 18th Medical Command. Dust levels spiked at 318 parts per million around Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base on Monday and other areas of South Korea reached above normal levels Monday afternoon. Less of this winter’s air pollution is due to sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide because of curbs on heavy industry emissions, said Lt. Col. Eric Lund, preventive medicine consultant for 18th Medical Command, after he spoke with South Korea environment ministry officials. Yellow dust consists of tiny particles from China and Mongolia that may include heavy metals and substances from factories in those countries. This week’s pollution isn’t primarily yellow dust-related, said Lund and Park Kang-woo of the Korean Meteorological Administration. However, a warning that went out Dec. 29 was for a yellow dust storm, which occurred about two months ahead of last year’s first storm. Pollution occurs when winds from the southwest stagnate over the Korean land mass, bringing dust with it. The stagnant air also keeps local emissions airborne. “It’s like putting a lid on a high air current without any fresh air flowing,” Park said. The higher pollution levels should last throughout the week but aren’t forecast to last all winter, South Korean forecasters said. Before June 28, the 18th Medical Command advised all personnel to limit outdoor activity and cancel outdoor physical training when levels reached 300 parts per million. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Blue Watch for Yellow Dust (Feb 2008) Dust levels spiked in the northern and central parts of the peninsula, causing USFK authorities to issue a “Blue Watch” advisory, the third-highest of the command’s five warning levels on 12 Feb. The “Blue Watch” advisory is issued when the amount of dust in the air is between 200 and 399 micrograms per cubic meter. The watch was issued for personnel at Yongsan, Camp Humphreys, Osan Air Base, Camp Casey, Camp Red Cloud, Kunsan Air Base and Warrior Base. The dust was strongest near Osan and Humphreys, where levels reached 297 micrograms per cubic meter before declining. The dust, borne on winds from China, contains industrial metals that can irritate eyes and lungs. Children and the elderly are especially at risk, as are people with lung problems, which the dust can make worse. The annual yellow dust season typically peaks in April. Over the past 10 years South Korea has averaged about 12 yellow dust storms a year, the 18th Medical Command has said. (SITE NOTE: An agreement to monitor the Yellow Dust between China, Korea and Japan broke down in Feb 2008 with China refusing to cooperate in reporting the yellow dust conditions. This will make the reporting of yellow dust conditions very difficult.) Yellow dust, ground fog, hit Pyeongtaek (Feb 2008) The yellow dust that blows in from China’s Gobi Desert brought a “Blue Watch” health warning on 20 Feb for the U.S. military in the Camp Humphreys-Osan Air Base region, the same morning a heavy ground fog hugged the area. But neither the yellow dust nor fog hindered flight operations at either installation, officials said. The fog, however, led authorities at Osan to declare “amber” road conditions from 9:55 a.m. to 12:33 p.m., when the status returned to green, said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Summers, a spokesman for Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing. “The ground was very cold and the temperature warming up created that ground fog,” Summers said. The yellow dust concentration for the Pyeongtaek region peaked Wednesday morning at 224 micrograms per cubic meter, well within the “unhealthy” range of 200-399, according to the 18th Medical Command’s yellow dust monitoring system, posted at ww.seoul.amedd.army.mil/sites/yellowsand/default.asp But Wednesday’s yellow dust level for the region later declined to below 100, a “green” or “good” level of health concern. Yellow Dust (Mar 2008) Hwangsa, the yellow sand that blows in from China’s Gobi Desert, coated cars on March 2. The Korea Meteological Administration issued a yellow sand warning on March 2 for the provinces of South Cheolla and Choongcheong. KMA forecast that the dusty yellow sand would continue to blow through March 3. Yellow sand, which has been known to cast a dark shadow across entire cityscapes, can be hazardous to health. Schools were closed and entrance ceremonies cancelled on 3 Mar as clouds of hazardous yellow dust blanketed most parts of South Korea below the upper region. The National Meteorological Administration issued yellow dust warnings and alarms to most provinces, except the two upper provinces of Gyeonggi that surrounds Seoul, and Gangwon. Even the southern resort island of Jeju received a warning, the weather watchdog said. Kunsan Air Base recorded unhealthy levels of dust at 332 micrograms 2 Mar but returned to low levels 3 Mar. South Korean officials took cautious steps until the yellow dust storm, known to Koreans as the “hwangsa,” dissipated in the southern parts of the peninsula. The peninsula can expect more yellow dust storms than average in the coming months. Higher temperatures and dry weather in the China and Mongolian deserts allow the dust to rise with easterly winds. For updates on the latest yellow dust counts at bases in South Korea, go to http://www.seoul.amedd.army.mil/sites/yellowsand/default.asp. Major Crime Ring Busted (Feb 2008) Thought I might add this to the postings because the only thing on Pyeongtaek and the Songtan area seemed to be yellow dust warnings. Crime is all around, but in Korea it is hidden away in back alleys. This is a story of a Pyeongtaek gang. Police have rounded up a large-scale criminal organization operating in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. A special investigation team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency arrested Kim (50), boss of “Cheonghawisaeng-pa,” and its 16 members for racketeering and assault. Other 20 members, including assistant head Yang (41), are wanted by the police. Meanwhile, 24 members including ring advisor Kim (53) were arrested without detention. According to the police, Kim opened a company supplying sanitary wet tissue to brothels in 1984 and set up Cheonghawisaeng-pa, an organized crime ring, in 1987. Kim and his underlings are charged with extorting 300 million won from a construction company preparing to redevelop near Pyeongtaek Station last June. They approached officials of the company saying they would acquire the land on behalf of the company. They are also charged with destroying 60 game machines in an adult-only Internet room which was owned by rival gang “World Cup” last March. To gain control over entertainment districts, the crime organization engaged in a gang fight in July 2006 with “Jeongukgu-pa” in downtown Pyeongtaek. It also attempted to murder two rival gang members in 2003, according to police. Kim reportedly formulated a code of conduct that stipulates: “Do the bidding of seniors and avenge betrayers” and trained his underlings in accordance with it. In fact, he brutally assaulted one of them for not following his order in August 2005. In addition, in an attempt to enlarge the organization, Kim lured troubled-teenagers belonging to school gangs in Pyeongtaek areas and trained them in a boarding school facility. Cheonghawisaeng-pa is the largest organized crime ring in Korea. Its 76 members are on a police list,” said an official of the police agency. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) April 2008USFK issues bird flu warning (Apr 2008) U.S. Forces Korea officials are warning the military community to avoid undercooked chicken and eggs in off-base establishments as South Korea battles two avian flu outbreaks. South Korean officials have destroyed 308,000 chickens since late last week to contain an outbreak at a farm about 10 to 20 miles from Kunsan Air Base. About 6,500 ducks also were destroyed Saturday at the location of a second outbreak — at Jeongeup poultry farm — according to The Associated Press.There have been no reports of human infection with the H5N1 bird flu virus during the latest outbreaks, said Terry Klein, an 18th Medical Command regional emerging infectious disease consultant. Klein said Monday that the South Korean government took rapid steps to stop the outbreaks, and has successfully contained earlier outbreaks. “If you look at the maps of what happened previously, it happened spottily. It happened in one location and didn’t migrate,” he said. Klein said people should avoid eating runny eggs, and avoid chicken meat that’s pink or bloody. “If the chicken products are really cooked well, it’s probably not any risk at all,” Klein said. All poultry products sold at AAFES and DeCA — including most eggs — come from the United States and are safe, according to the 8th Army release. Any eggs procured locally for resale on base are heat-treated and also safe, according to the release. Officials routinely perform food sanitation inspections at all USFK dining facilities, restaurants and commercial vendors, except South Korean snack bar and Embassy Club vendors. Klein said outbreaks typically happen when geese, ducks and other large birds migrate and leave feces in rice paddies from where the virus can spread to nearby chicken farms. Five hundred workers killed chickens at the outbreak site in Gimje, North Jeolla province, and six other farms within a 500-yard radius of the outbreak site on Saturday. They planned to kill other chickens in the nearby village of Sinam, according to an 8th Army press release. The release said eggs produced at farms within about two miles of the outbreak also would be destroyed, and none of the 3.57 million birds within a six-mile radius of the farms were being allowed to leave the area. Checkpoints were set up on roads linking North Jeolla to other provinces. “Probably none of these chickens are going to end up in the food chain,” Klein said. “The government does not want any human cases here.” (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (See South Korea Events 2008 (Apr 2008) for details of outbreak.) May 2008Scorching Heat Expected This Summer...SHOOTS!!! (May 2008) Korea will have a prolonged hot weather with frequent heavy rains due to unstable atmospheric conditions this summer. The rainy spell will begin late June. The Korea Meteorological Administration said yesterday, “The average temperature will stay between 19 and 26 degrees Celsius (66 - 79 degrees F) from June to August, similar to the past record. However, the temperature fluctuations will be severe between the heat wave and temporary drops in the mercury. (SITE NOTE: Last year the temperatures were above 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees F) and sometimes higher during heat wave conditions. It was flat miserable.)The weather agency predicted that the rainy season will begin late June and temporarily come to a state of lull early July. Precipitation will amount to 346-676 mm like in previous years. About 11 or 12 typhoons, compared to the average 11.2, are expected to appear and two or three out of them, compared to the average 2.4, will affect Korea this summer. (As a general rule, the typhoons have very little impact to the area as they hit in the south (Jeju Island and Busan) and impact the east coast. The area recieves some rain, but mostly only cloudy skies.) The Korea Meteorological Administration also forecast, “Due to La Nina, Korea is highly likely to suffer from abnormal weather conditions such as torrential rainfalls and sudden drops in temperature.” In particular, the agency warned that August will see the scorching heat accompanied by regional heavy downpours. In contrast to El Nino, La Nina lowers surface temperatures of the East Pacific by 0.5 degrees Celsius from the average temperature and results in floods, droughts and cold spells. (SITE NOTE: And the ROK just announced that electricity prices are going to rise because of the oil price rise. The costs last year were astronomically high and I can just imagine what it'll be like this year. My home is air-conditioned, but it is an apartment that remains cold even when its warm outside. But my little teaching office (about 200 sq ft) across the street is not airconditioned. Thus I may just teach in my home during these peak heat wave times. I'm now looking for a CHEAP alternative -- portable air conditioner or old used one.) July 2008Heat Wave Hitting Eastern S. Korea -- and spreading to West Coast (Jul 2008) A heat wave with high humidity is hitting South Korea, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said on 7 Jul. Temperatures in Korea have soared above 33 degrees Celsius (91.4F), and it didn't get much cooler overnight. Morning lows stayed above 29 degrees (84.2F) in the northern maritime province of Gangwon Monday morning (7 Jul), with the heat stream expanding to inland regions, according to the KMA.In an effort to avoid the heat wave, many South Koreans have headed toward beaches on the East Sea or to resorts in the alpine hills of the Daegwallyeong. Yonhap News quoted the KMA as saying, "The air stream, moving in the southwestward direction, is getting hotter and drier as it goes over the Taebak Mountains." The exceptionally hot, humid weather also continued in southeastern Korea. Morning lows in South Gyeongsang Province stayed above 25 degrees Celsius (77F). The weather agency said the heat wave will continue through early this week in eastern Korea. For the first time, we have had the air conditioner on all day at our office -- and there is a fight between me and the wife over the use at home. She says I want it too cold, but I claim that its too hot at the settings she wants. Not many good options here. The temperatures are around 30 degrees Celsius (80F) during the day, but the humidity is so high that it makes it miserable without air conditioning. At night at home, I have a large floor fan six inches from me in my bedroom (with the computer) keeping me chilly to cold because of the humidity in the air...but without the fan, the room becomes a sweat box. The living room has the ceiling fan that does a fair job of keeping it livable. The Korean newspapers are filled with photos of kids sitting in the public fountains trying to get cool and pics of bikini-clad beauties at Everland under waterfalls and pics of folks at Hyundae Beach at Busan. Other photos show people sitting in the local streams just to beat the heat. Of course the food sections are filled with pics of watermelon eating -- and cucumbers as well. Of course, the naengmyeong (cold noodles) variations are featured too. The TV is filled with ads of mosquito tents (mosquito nets on flexible frames) as people head outdoors at night to stay cool -- but the mosquitoes are also out in force. The entire country is suffering from scorching heat day and night due to the movement of a hot and humid air mass from the tropics to the Korean Peninsula. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the high temperature in most of the major cities in Korea on Monday (7 Jul) topped 30 degrees Celsius (80F). The high in Daegu was 36 degrees (96.8F), in Gwangju 33.2 degrees (91.8F), in Daejeon 31.2 degrees (88.1F), and in Gangneung 32.3 degrees (90,1F). The difference between the daytime high and nighttime low was just 2.7 degrees, 4 degrees lower than the previous year. A hot and humid North Pacific anticyclone is a major reason behind the continued heat wave. As the rainy season nears its end, the humidity of the anticyclone stretched its influence to the Korean Peninsula. "Vapor condensed in the North Pacific anticyclone narrows down the temperature difference because it stays in the air and holds the heat," said Prof. Ho Chang-hoi of the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences of Seoul National University. Since a special heat wave warning was first issued in the east coast on Saturday (5 Jul), warnings were issued in North Chungcheong Province and 46 other cities and counties nationwide on Monday (7 Jul). A heat caution was issued in five regions including Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang Province and Hamyang County in South Gyeongsang Province. While the whole country is steaming during the day, the number of cities experiencing "tropical nights," when the nocturnal low stays above 25 degrees (77F), has increased. Starting with Gangneung on Friday (4 Jul), the tropical night expanded to Gangneung and Daegu on Saturday (5 Jul), six regions on Sunday (6 Jul), and 17 regions on Monday (7 Jul). The KMA predicted Monday (7 Jul) that the heat wave will continue in all parts of the country except for Seoul and some parts of Gyeonggi Province until Thursday (10 Jul), with daytime highs above 30 degrees. Temperatures will drop temporarily on Friday (11 Jul), as a rain front sinks in from the north. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) Typhoon blows toward peninsula (Jul 2008) Typhoon No. 7, named as “Kalmaegi,” moved northward toward the Korean Peninsula. The storm was expected to hit the west coast on 21 Jul in the afternoon. Accordingly, the nation was expected to downpours accompanied by gusty winds from 19 - 21 Jul. Unlike most typhoons that hit the east coast, this was expected to hit China and move into the West Sea. The Korea Meteorological Administration said that the typhoon passed through Taiwan on 18 Jul and would land on the coast of China, near Shanghai, on 19 Jul. It would resume its march toward the Korean Peninsula on 20 Jul. The storm was regarded as a small typhoon with maximum wind speeds of 83 kilometers per hour (51.6 mph). However, maximum wind speeds were expected to drop to 61 kilometers per hour by the time it reaches the Korean Peninsula at 3 p.m. on 21 Jul. “Rains will begin in the southern part of the country, which will be indirectly affected by the typhoon and a seasonal rain front approaching on 19 Jul. By mid-day on the 20th, the storm seemed to have dissipated and the sun came out for a while and dried up the streets. Cheonchung-do was hit bad with cars washed away, but in the Seoul area it was not too bad. Despite the rain, the Hanchongryeon college kids turned out to have a protest near Seoul Plaza and in the lull of the rain shot roman candle fireworks over the heads of the police. A little pushing and shoving, but not a good day for violence. The Cheongye stream flooded, but besides that there was not major damage in the Kyonggi-do area. In Songtan, it got soggy but not really that bad. However, it certainly ruined the weekend. August 2008Asking for Opinions of Songtan Expats (Aug 2008) Perhaps some of you in the Songtan area noted that a “New Town” is opening up in Osan City.The government will designate two new towns in Gyeonggi Province as part of efforts to reinvigorate the construction industry. The plots assigned are the 6.9 million sq.-m Geomdan area in Incheon and the 5.2 million sq.-meter Segyo area in Osan. (Chosun Ilbo.)Well, they are also planning a Shinjang New town as well, but its just in the formative talking stages. From what I’m seeing there will be three areas in the Shinjang 2-dong area — at the boundary with Seojong-dong. There are government, academics and construction companies involved. Anyway, why am I bothering you? I was asked for historical inputs — actually they just wanted photos from my site for free as I document “lost” history as a hobby. But what surprised me was that they also asked my opinion on how to make things better for foreigners living off-base and any suggestions to improving the Shinjang Mall area. This took me completely off guard. I told them that I was probably NOT the person to ask on those areas as I’m a relative newcomer to the area. However, I made a suggestion of garnering opinions from longtime expats. Immediately, they said, sorry and the questions were perhaps too broad, etc. etc. — but would I STILL attend the meeting on the 26th of Aug at 1500 to answer questions on the history of the area. So what I’m asking of any expats, contractors, or USFK personnel with long living experience at Osan AB/Songtan (like Frank from the old Lost Nomad blog) is: If any of you have CONSTRUCTIVE advice on how to make things better for foreigners here, please drop me an email. I know they retracted the question, but IF they ask again, I’d love to give them something that could benefit us all who live here. It’s not often that Korean planners (govenment, private company and academics) ask us Americans for our opinions — and if they me ask again, I’d like to have something to give them. My email is kalani@kalaniosullivan.com.     UPDATE (10 Sep 2008): On 26 Aug, Kalani O'Sullivan briefed the Planning Committee for the Shinjang New Town project on the history of the area. Stated that there was no structures or monuments that I was aware of worth saving. Contrihuted the inputs I received from other expats to the committee and it was to be translated into Korean and discussed at the September meeting. The committee showed a high interest in command and non-command sponsored tours as these people will be the ones that they are aiming at housing. The project is still in the concept stages at this time. There are plans to construct three decks that will stretch from the Mokchon underpass to the Songtan Station. Atop the decks will be created a "sports park" (running tracks, tennis courts and such). The entire Shinjang Mall area will be razed from Jaeyok Road to the Songtan Tourist Hotel. The areas down towards Songshin Elementary School and on will be basically preserved. A new road will be built to run in a straightline from near the Bravo Gate as a four-lane road down to Pokchang Road (that leads to the AOC). The roads in the razed area will be laid out on a grid. The Songtan Station is envisioned to become a community station -- meaning the incorporation of restaurants, shops and such that mimics Suwon Station. Again this is in the concept stages at this time. There is some discussion over the height restrictions of 21-23 stories which the builders want to make a profit versus the base which wants the buildings lower. This may turn into a piffing match as Pyeongtaek City controls the height restrictions -- and the base has no say in the matter unless there are aviation concerns agreed to by the Ministry of Defense. SEE Briefing on Shinjang area History for continuation of details on the development of the plan. September 2008Expressways Clogged as Visitors Returning to Seoul (Sep 2008) Chuseok, the Korean full moon festival, is one of the most important traditional holidays in the country. The holiday falls on the days surrounding the 15th of August by the lunar calendar, which are Sept. 13 to 15 this year by the Gregorian calendar.Bumper-to-bumper traffic piled up again Sunday afternoon (14 Sep) on major highways across the country as tens of thousands of people headed home after celebrating the "Chuseok" holiday with their relatives. Major expressways leading to the metropolitan area was clogged again as tens of thousands of people are returning to Seoul and nearby cities after the Chuseok holiday 14 Sep. From Sunday afternoon (14 Sep) the expressways to Seoul have been bumper to bumper. Driving conditions on the roads leading to the capital city eased at around midnight, but would clog up again starting early Monday, the last day of the holiday. It is estimated that one out of every three Koreans is visiting their hometowns for one of the nation's most celebrated holidays.Unusually hot temperature exceeding 30 degree Celsius gripped the nation Sunday. According to the weather agency, southwestern Jeongup City recorded the noon high of 32.9 degrees Celsius, with Seoul, Suwon, Cheongju and Jeonju hovering around 30 degrees Celsius. The temperatures were 5-6 derees higher than usual.   Traffic jam leading to Seoul   Traffic jam leading to Seoul A phenomena that started this year was the emergence of the old folks in the country taking the subways to Seoul to visit the families -- instead of the people going to the country. This is a boon as the major traffic flow on railways are OUT of Seoul at the start of Cheosok, while the trains are relatively open and free of congestion going TO Seoul. Thus it is easy on the older folks to visit Seoul and families to pick them up at the railstation. With cellphones it is relatively easy to locate each other at the stations. Older people are more willing to use the rail system to travel as the cost is low and convenience much improved. The old days of hard wooden seats (even into the 1990s) are gone forever and modern railway/subway systems make it easy and convenient. We believe this trend will continue into the future -- and more old families will visit Seoul instead of going to the country. Visits to the ancestral homes and gravesites in the country will shift to minor holidays when congestion is not so great. Going to the country by rail during Cheosok is a different problem. The exodus heading to the country causes tickets to be sold out months ahead of time. After Cheosok, the reverse problem of getting home on the rails persists. US-ROK Friendship Festival at Shinjang Mall (27-28 Sep 2008) The Festival is growing -- but not so much as a celebration of the friendship theme -- but rather as a local showing of food booths and shopping. All kinds of foods from roast pig to Korean pancakes to Thai and Filipino foods to hamburgers. The local organizations from the Sameul Club to the Lions Club and VFW were all represented with food booths. All along the mall from the Main Gate to the Kyongbu Railroad tracks were lined with booths. There were game booths and stalls for clothing and Korean foodstuffs. On the mall, the most popular booth was the USAF fire department booth that was handing out free toys (frisbees, plastic firemen hats, etc.). There were loads of Korean families rambling along the Mall and this year there were children rides. It wasn't quite a carnival atmosphere -- and more a food fair. Nothing really special. There were a few roving clowns to try to give the event a festive feel.   (L) Game booths along back of Mall (R) Food Stands along back of Mall   (L) Clothes stall along back of Mall (R) Korean herbs for sale   (L) Korean condiments for sale (R) Yut candy "beggar" performance The only real fun place was one of the beggar shows that sell yut (Korean rock candy). He was really working hard beating on the drums in time with the Korean music on the PA system, so we bought a box for 3000 won. Being the old-style Korean music, it attracted the old drunks who were dancing -- and some of the old ladies as well. It was kind of funny when the old ladies would slap hands away of the drunk old men who tried to dance with them. A lot of people simply stopped by and joined in the merriment with the scissors clanking -- a traditional part of the yut salesman -- or assisting on beating the drums. There was another beggar show at the end of the Mall, but this one was a man dressed up as a woman -- and the show wasn't very funny.   (L) Food booths and flowers for sale (R) Food booths   (L) Food booths (R) American USO band on street What was missing this year was the large stage setup that was present in the past two years. In the past, the Osan AB leaders and Pyeongtaek City officials would all show up to make speeches. This year seemed to be very low key. Instead, a small performance area was near the main gate but it was more like a street performance crowded in by food booths. Various community groups performed, but when we were there, there was an American USO group performing. Rambled around the Mall area and the side alleys were all but deserted. Felt sorry for the merchants in those stores as there was no business at all.   (L) Roteserrie chicken truck (R) Game booth The activities were very limited so I went home, but I came back later that night and walked around with the daughter. We went to a fortune teller who for 5000 won used tarot cards to foretell that I wasn't going to die. Gee, I wonder what would have happened if she said I was going to croak? Surprisingly, she was doing a brisk business with a 20,000 won for a FULL fortune and 5,000 won for tarot cards only. There was also the assortment of professional beggars -- and even a Buddhist monk was out there soliciting money. Also seen were the typical trucks that peddle stuff from fruits to rotisserie chickens that one sees on the side streets of Songtan in the evenings. I wasn't very hungry after eating a big bowl of Kuk-su (vermilli noodles with bean sprouts) at a Vietnamese restaurant on the mall so I didn't really want to eat. However, the daughter was hungry so we had some Korean pancakes for 5,000 won each. Later on bought some corn-on-the-cob for 2000 won each -- what a rip-off!!! Played some games with the daughter on the strip -- toss a coin into a dish -- and lost as expected. Never was any good at pitching pennies. Later we played a darts game to pop the balloons and for ONLY 4,000 won, we won a 500 won stuffed pussy cat -- that Shelly our dog immediately ripped apart when she got her teeth into it. Expensive way to pass the time, but it was fun none the less. Enjoyed it. Shinjang Mall: Jungang Market The following photos are from 1978:     Jungang Market Place (1978) (Marvin Metzinger) NOTE: Notice the fiberglass panels on the roof in the 1978 photos to allow sunlight in. These are all gone. There was a fire in the 1980s that burned out the fiberglass roof panels and they were replaced with non-flammable transite (concrete and asbestoes) sheets. The area today is very gloomy and has to be lit with lights even during the day. According to the older residents, the alleyway is much narrower than in the 1970s because they eliminated the "road" in the 1980s and allowed shops/stalls to be built along the sides. Thus there is only a narrow path that weaves through the stalls today. This area can be identified only by the metal construction of the roof supports and a few remaining fire warning signs from the 1970s.     Jungang Market Place (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Shinjang Mall: Back Alley Photos   Near Railroad tracks. Lookingup at the Hanil Church one sees the Buddhist temple tucked on the hill. (Mar 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Near Railroad tracks. Deserted building. Songtan Central Presbyterian Church seen at top of hill. (Mar 2006) (Kalani O'Sullivan); (R) 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.)   (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.) 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)   Taehyun Road near Songbuk Market (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Taehyun Road towards Overpass (R) Taehyun Road at Overpass (Aug 2007) (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) Hoebak-teo area (in line with Yongchon Alley) looking up hill (R) Hoebak-teo area looking towards Osan AB (May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Hoebak-teo area (in line with Yongchon Alley) looking toward Yongchon Hotel (R) Hoebak-teo area (in line with Aragon Alley -- one block down) looking toward Osan AB (May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Hoebak-teo area looking toward Namsan-teo and Mido Apartments (R) Hoebak-teo area (in line with Aragon Alley -- two block down) looking toward base (May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Hoebak-teo area (in line with Yongchon Alley) view up Hoebak Hill (Pumpkin Hill) (May 2008) (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) Makumni Looking east toward Hill 180 Gate; (R) Makumni entrance. East Side of Osan AB (Seotan Myeon):  East of Osan AB -- Chinwi River from middle of old bridge going to Seotan (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) EMart:  Emart OSAN AB EVENTSCommander, 51st Fighter Wing, Osan AB: Col. Jon A. Norman, June 15, 2007 --January 2008Bill would ban military slot machines (Dec 2007) A bill in Congress seeks to eliminate military slot machines overseas that take in $130 million a year, mostly from soldiers.The bill's sponsor, Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tennessee, named the bill after Army Warrant Officer Aaron Walsh, a decorated Apache helicopter pilot who became addicted to gambling on military slot machines. Walsh eventually was discharged from the Army. He committed suicide after several failed attempts to break his addiction. (SITE NOTE: What we are peeved about is that this bill proposes to remove the slots, but does NOT provide any mechanism for replacing the revenue generated by the MWR funds for the Army, Navy, Marines and USAF. In effect, this bill proposes massive cuts in spending on morale and welfare institutions for the DOD without providing replacement funds.)The Defense Department uses slot machine revenues to pay a small portion of its morale, welfare and recreation programs. Davis said the money raised off the gambling of soldiers is not worth the risks. (SITE NOTE: The revenue from the soldiers in Korea is minimal. It is the revenue from the unauthorized Korean nationals (USFK employees/contractors) that makes up the bulk of the profit. At Osan AB, on Korean paydays, one will see Koreans pumping their paychecks into the slots. The profits from the slots support many of the MWR activities on base -- and have done so for many years. This is why the base officials have turned a blind eye to the Korean nationals playing the slots.)"If American men and women are willing to serve our country overseas we should not be dependent on them to pay for recreational activities they deserve," Davis said in a written statement. "The risks are simply too high and too many to ask that of our soldiers." The bill's introduction comes after Walsh's story was featured in a CNN investigative report. His widow, Carrie Walsh, described how her husband's life spun out of control while the military refused to intervene. "The military has this culture of taking care of their own," Carrie Walsh told CNN. "But it seems like when it comes to this, they just profited from his addiction and then threw him away." Carrie Walsh said that in 2005 her husband lost more than $20,000 in military slot machines. He went AWOL, only to be found sitting in front of a video slot machine on a military post in Seoul. He was forced to resign from the Army and spent time homeless on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2006, Walsh returned to Maine and tried to reconnect with his wife and their two small children, but his gambling addiction continued. On September 26, 2006, Walsh, 34, went to Maine's Baxter State Park and killed himself with a gunshot to the head. The Army operates 3,000 slot machines on overseas posts, raising $130 million in revenue each year. Other branches of the military operate their own gaming programs. University of Illinois business professor John Kindt, who has studied gambling addictions and the military, agrees with Davis that the money raised is not worth the risk. He says the military should find other ways to entertain troops. "It shouldn't be about exploiting our service personnel and putting families and their children at risk," he told CNN. In a statement released by the Pentagon earlier this year, Undersecretary of Defense Leslye Arsht said gambling on bases and posts provides "a controlled alternative to unmonitored host-nation gambling venues and offers a higher payment percentage, making it more entertainment oriented than that found at typical casinos." The Warrant Officer Aaron Walsh Stop DOD-Sponsored Gambling Act would prohibit the military from operating slot machines on military bases. The legislation was introduced in Dec 2007. (Source: CNN News.) (SITE NOTE: Each service operates its own slot machine operations. Thus the dollar totals would be much larger than the $130 million ARMY total if one counted all the US Army, USAF, and USN operations world-wide. The military overseas plays the unique role of operator, regulator and beneficiary dealing with slots. Each service runs its own program and provides oversight on the slot machines and allocation of funds, primarily to the MWR.Who gets what, and how much? (Jan 2008) The Stars and Stripes reported that U.S. Army uses a complex formula for dividing its slot machine profits. On Army installations, the host facility — the bowling center where the slots are located, for example — gets an immediate 10 percent of the take, Don Rojas, general manager of the Army Recreation Machine Program, said during a phone interview earlier this month. Operating expenses — such as labor and business supplies — are then deducted from the remaining 90 percent. Rojas said operating expenses total about 21 percent of the total gross slot machine revenue. Once those expenses are deducted, the sum is once again divided, with 60 percent going to the Army garrisons where the money was made and 40 percent going into what’s called the Central Fund Account. The garrisons use their 60 percent to fund capital purchases and minor construction — projects under $1 million, Rojas said. This could include a snack bar renovation, replacement bowling pins or new carpeting, Rojas said. The money in the Central Fund Account is used to fund worldwide Army capital construction for facilities that Congress does not appropriate taxpayer dollars to build, Rojas said. These include certain types of facilities that should be self-sufficient, such as golf courses. And when the Army runs machines on other services’ installations — like it does for the Navy in South Korea or the Marines on Okinawa — the other service takes either 70 percent or 80 percent of the profits. The decision is based on whether the Army must make an initial investment for such things as a new office or staff members, Rojas said. (SITE NOTE: Other reports stated that the USAF did not provide figures and the last USAF published machine count was 1999. Thus the chart was a nice addition -- though it does NOT provide a source besides "Military Services." According to the chart accompanying the article, the USAF has 1,202 machines world-wide -- versus 3,275 for the Army. The USAF took in $28.2 million -- versus $120.4 million for the Army. However, the $120.4 million figure makes us wonder where they got the $130 million figure for the Congressional report. Percent of MWR Profit was 3 percent -- versus 7 percent for the Army. 45 percent of the profit stays local -- versus "not given" for Army. Machine payout was 94 percent for both USAF and Army.If so, the other service gets 70 percent of the revenue. But if the infrastructure already is in place, the host gets 80 percent of the revenue. The Army then deducts its operating expenses from the remaining 20 percent or 30 percent of the revenue and the result is deposited into the Central Fund. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Osan Commander to Place Ban on Koreans Playing Slots On-base (Jan 2008) Because of the sensitivity of the matter after the anti-slot machine bill was introduced in Congress, the Osan Commander may ban Korean nationals -- NOT Korean military dependents -- from playing the slot machines on base. It appears it is one of those "preemptive" actions to prevent questions that will arise about the slots at Osan if the anti-slot machine bill passes Congress. (See CNN News.) Supposedly the ban on Korean nationals playing the slots will take place in 1 Feb 2008. We are not certain at this time if this is a USFK-wide initiative. (SITE NOTE: On 30 Jan, it was reported in the Stars and Stripes that this was a USFK-wide initiative. As of Jan. 20 all Army bases in South Korea were ordered to begin checking IDs for anyone in the game rooms and base clubs. In the past 18 months, only Camp Humphreys and Daegu-area bases have periodically conducted 100 percent ID card checks.) The action that Col. Howard, the 51st Wing Commander, is taking was probably done after careful consideration. Officially, the slots are restricted to military members or their dependents and retirees. However, it has been an "open secret" for TWO DECADES that the slot machine rooms have always been crammed full on paydays with Koreans playing the slots -- mostly USFK employees or on-base contractors. These are the primary players of the slots -- and contribute the bulk of slot machine profits to the MWR. Col Howard's ban will result in a significant reduction in MWR income and most certainly his decision was one that he had to have considered carefully before he took action. He has just slit the throat of his "cash cow." There was a great financial impact back in the 1970s after the slot machines were removed from the clubs. After a few years, PACAF base commanders found that they didn't have money to repair their MWR facilities during the money-crunch years of the late 1970s. They doubled the NCO club membership rates -- and members quit. They then raised prices on MWR activities -- and people stopped using the facilities. The same situation was true in USAFE. Caught in a trap at all its bases, the military pleaded their case to Congress and the slots returned -- but under strict controls to prevent military managers from dipping their fingers into the till. Now in the 2008, the USAF is again in a cash-crunch as it cuts expenses to support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It should be noted that in the 1970s, Koreans were not a major user of the slots as Korea was still a poor country. But in the late 1980s, the Miracle of the Han arrived in Korea and the Korean nationals suddenly had a spendable income. The average Korean could now afford to gamble on the slots -- hoping to get rich quick. They started to appear in increasing numbers at the slot machines on paydays. In Korea, the gambling addiction of Koreans is well-documented. A Korean government report in 2002 identified about 10 percent of Korean adults as addicted to gambling, more than the 3 percent rate of the United States or the 6 percent rate of Australia over the same period. In the attempts to bring the off-base game rooms under control, there were the scandals in 2006 and 2007 that reached the highest-levels of government in kickback revelations over licensing -- and the police being forced to close down un-licensed game rooms. (See Gambling: Jan 2006.)Because of this popularity by Korean nationals, the on-base slots make HUGE profits which the base MWR enjoys. But at the same time, it is not wise for American authorities to look too closely at the slot machine operations because of the unauthorized Korean national users. If it were investigated, there would be uncomfortable questions that would have to be asked as to where the profits REALLY came from. Figuring that 3 percent of the USFK are hard core gambling addicts (according to a US Army estimate) -- that would be about 600 personnel. With these numbers, how would the USFK explain how over $1.5 billion had been pumped into the slot machines in order to generate the $130 million in MWR profits (6.5 percent) for 2006. It would then be obvious that unauthorized Korean national personnel were playing the slots. (SITE NOTE: HOWEVER, each service operates its own slot machines. The USAF has been reluctant to publicly release the figures for MWR profits from slots, thus any statement on USAF profitability would be just guesswork. However, with two bases with multiple sub-locations for slot machine operations, the profits in Korea should be as a minimum at least one half of the US Army profits -- though from personal observations, it could easily be equal to their profits.)As was said before, the unauthorized Korean nationals have been dumping their money into the on-base slots for TWO DECADES. This makes any questions over their presence even more uncomfortable. The profits kept the military clubs open and funded much needed morale programs leading to positive aspects -- and no one in the military really worried about Korean nationals with a gambling addiction -- only that the MWR funds remained high. The source of the MWR income had to remain low-key. This is where the base officials had to turn a blind eye to the slots -- and put the slots in such places as the Checkertails restaurant at Osan or the Oriental House restaurant at Kunsan, as well as at the golf courses, where Korean nationals not authorized to use the machines had open access to the slots. These places were labeled as "auxiliary" military club sites or "annexes" to allow the slot machine operations to be "legal." It has been said that the unspoken policy for everyone involved in the slot machine operations has been to NOT ask for military IDs of Koreans playing the machines -- and to mind their own business dealing with "Korean won" exchange transactions and transportation of unauthorized individuals onto the base for the purpose of gambling. The profits were too good. The USFK military at the same time distanced itself from the slot machine operations. The military overseas plays the unique role of operator, regulator and beneficiary dealing with slots. However, the USFK military accepted only the beneficiary role while delegating the operator and regulator functions to the MWR (or for the USAF under the Mission Support Group or Services Squadron) -- often headed by a civilian club manager. The slot machine maintenance and all facets of the day-to-day operation were under the MWR which more-or-less removed the military from any responsibilities in the operation. The MWR profit went into a big slush fund in the sky and then remainder sent to the USFK/PACAF/CINCPAC to be redistributed downward, thus relieving local commanders of responsibility for regulating these funds -- though a healthy 30 percent of the profits remained on the base/camp at the club for "operating costs." Any past member of the NCO club board can verify that over the years the profit from slots have always been "significant." In this way, the operation remained low-key without direct senior local command involvement. The loss of this sizable MWR profit will definitely impact the club operations and MWR programs on the base in the future...but how much of a financial impact is an unknown at this time as the USAF refuses to release their profits info. Thus the MWR funding impacts are unknown for Osan AB -- and Kunsan AB if it follows suit. With the ban of Korean nationals, it will be interesting to watch the impacts to the MWR programs with the anticipated dramatic loss of profits in the future. It is not an "if," but a "when" story -- and "how large an impact." USFK responds to illegal-gambling reports (Jan 2008) What appeared at first to be action only at Osan AB is in actuality a USFK-wide prohibition on illegal gambling with the slot machines. The Stars and Stripes stated on 30 Jan that U.S. Forces Korea is taking stringent new measures to prevent illegal gambling and loan profiteering off slot machines at military bases, USFK and Morale, Welfare and Recreation officials said. USFK officials have ordered 100 percent identification card checks at all gambling facilities; base access rosters showing guest and sponsor names are under review; and commander Gen B.B. Bell will release a new gambling regulation no later than March 24, USFK spokesman Col. Franklin Childress said last week. The action comes on the heels of a Stars and Stripes investigation into the slot machine program and a Stripes memo sent to USFK and Installation Management Command-Korea officials seeking comment on the depth of alleged wrongdoing. Stripes learned from numerous sources over several weeks of reporting that much of the slot machine gambling on bases is illegally conducted by South Koreans escorted by people with authorized base access. Military and MWR officials said those claims remain unsubstantiated, but a full investigation is ongoing with the goals of keeping the game rooms safe, abiding by the law and ensuring no one is using any MWR facility as an illegal business venture. “Since these allegations have come to light, we have dramatically ramped up enforcement activities,” said Dan Ahern, chief of MWR for IMCOM-Korea. “The allegations are taken very seriously and frankly, we appreciate them coming to light so we can talk about aggressive action. With your help and your readers out there … I think it’s a problem we can put a stop to.” (SITE NOTE: Are they serious??? It's their problem that they let fester for so long untended because they were making money hand over fist. Now they want others to "help"??? Dumb statement. They know the score and don't need help. Their problem is that they continuing to deny that there was a problem in the first place.) The numbers The U.S. Army and Air Force generated more than $83.6 million in revenue via 1,191 slot machines in South Korea in fiscal 2007, according to data provided by the Army’s Family MWR Command and the Air Force Personnel Center. The Army, which also runs the machines on Navy facilities in South Korea, earned the lion’s share: about $73.5 million with 927 machines. As a comparison, the Army’s 1,550 machines in Europe, including machines the service runs on Air Force and Navy installations, brought in $38.5 million during the same time period. And since military slot machines offer a payout rate of about 95 percent, the $83.6 million in South Korea represents only 5 percent to 6 percent of the total money gambled in the machines that year. Although exact figures weren’t provided by the services, the total gambled in slot machines in South Korea would be about $1.4 billion in 2007 based on those machine return percentages. The stories Many community members brought their stories to Stripes by answering an online request seeking information. Almost every one did so on the condition of anonymity; many said they feared possible retribution. They claimed the military wasn’t adequately preventing the decades-old practice of South Koreans gambling on base, which is illegal under the U.S.-South Korea Status of Forces Agreement. They said an underground business involving escort fees and high-interest loans in gaming rooms on the American bases flourished and brought in untold numbers of South Koreans who often borrowed money from their escorts — military family members with base access — to feed their habits and the machines. That money, in turn, has put millions of dollars into military budgets that pay for entertainment and family activities on bases, they claimed. Some asked where the command would find funding if the slots were banned, as proposed by U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn. Gaming money helps pay for hotels, movie theaters, discounted cultural tours, bowling alleys, children’s sports leagues, hobby shops and other military and family services on overseas bases, according to MWR Web sites. Ahern said it was too early to know whether the current investigation and stricter rules would affect gaming revenues. And Rich Gorman, chief operating officer of Army MWR, said by telephone on 30 Jan that if revenues do fall, MWR will try to make up for the loss through cost savings and other methods. Hidden costs Some say there are hidden costs that the military has ignored. Some of those who talked to Stripes, including former servicemembers and military contractors, complained that loan-sharking and other improper practices in the gaming rooms have cost some military families thousands of dollars. One former soldier, who now works at an Army camp near the Demilitarized Zone, said his wife depleted family finances and borrowed money at interest rates as high as 30 percent from loan sharks who linger in the gaming rooms. “They just sit in there and loan money out,” said the retired sergeant first class, who served many tours in South Korea before retiring. “My wife borrowed $15,000 from these leeches.” All told, she has gambled away more than $60,000, he says. He said she wouldn’t talk to Stripes. Others told similar stories. A former command sergeant major said his wife borrowed money in the gaming rooms as well. After 30 years in the Army, the retired soldier said he’s angry that the military seems to ignore this practice but expends so much energy on combating black marketing. “As long as they are making money, they don’t care,” he said. Busted Nearly three years ago, a South Korean woman, identified only as Kim, was charged with running an illegal currency exchange business after local officials found she had charged entrance fees in exchange for signing in almost 180 Koreans onto base. She was accused of charging 30,000 won (at the time, about $30) for access an estimated 900 times between 2002 and 2005, Seoul police said at the time. The police suspected she racked up 1.2 billion won, or more than $1 million, from the illegal business. Seoul police said the woman got access to the base through a cultural friends group. As a member, she had permission to be on the base, but not in the gaming rooms. A police lieutenant with the foreign affairs section of the Seoul Police said last week that he remembered the case and believed that the woman received a suspended sentence. He was unable, however, to provide any specifics. The lieutenant spoke on the condition of anonymity, which is common practice in South Korea. He said that although her case was the last officially investigated, he believes that other people are committing the same sort of crime on U.S. bases in South Korea. The problem, he said, is that the Korean police don’t have access to the base to conduct their own investigations. Enforcement Ahern and Gorman said gambling rules have long been enforced, referring to spot ID card checks as one example of enforcement. However, one source said base employees warn illegal players before the spot checks occur. “That clearly defeats the purpose of internal control,” said Gorman, who said anyone who witnesses employees warning illegal players should call a black marketing and illegal gambling hot line at DSN 738-5118. As of Jan. 20 all Army bases in South Korea were ordered to begin checking IDs for anyone in the game rooms and base clubs. In the past 18 months, only Camp Humphreys and Daegu-area bases have periodically conducted 100 percent ID card checks, Ahern said. In 2003, one person was permanently barred from base and 10 others were suspended for six months on the assumption of illegal gambling, MWR officials said. Gorman, who managed the Dragon Hill Lodge from 1998 to 2005, said some allegations of illegal South Korean access could be directed toward authorized users of Asian descent. That would be taken into account during enforcement, officials said. “We’ll be careful to ensure there is no discriminatory aspect to this,” Gorman said. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: A Stars and Stripes online survey in Feb 2008 showed that 53 percent of the people online said that gambling should NOT be stopped, but the corruption needed to be stopped. After the initial hysteria over this issue, the Stars and Stripes went silent over the gambling issue. Perhaps the DoD talked to the Congressman and stated that his bill needs to include funding for the millions that the slot machines provides in MWR programs. HOWEVER, we suspect the USFK will enforce only the prevention of illegal gamblers from off-base, but not prevent the gambling of the Korean on-base workers or those Koreans with on-base passes -- despite the fact that their gambling on the slot machines is illegal. These are the primary players -- NOT the off-base gamblers. When things cool down we will stop in to see if things returned to normal.) EPILOGUE: (Mar 2008) The 100 percent ID check policy for the USFK is still in effect. One report on a blog in Mar 2008, stated that when the individual popped into the Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsan, his ID was checked and there were only 6 GIs and one Korean woman who appeared to be a dependent. One report from Camp Humphreys in Mar 2008 stated the same situation existed. At Osan, a similar situation is in effect with very reduced numbers. We wonder what the future impacts will be on the MWR programs since the money source was cut out. USFK reinforces rules on illegal gambling on bases (Apr 2008) U.S. Forces Korea has released a new regulation that spells out specific actions to keep illegal gamblers out of on-base slot machine rooms. The nine-page regulation on illegal gambling prevention, dated April 1, makes clear that punitive action can be taken against military, civilians and non-U.S. citizens who break the rules. The regulation directs managers of facilities housing the slot machines to keep out illegal gamblers, USFK spokesman Col. Franklin Childress said on 9 Apr. Staff at facilities with gambling must check the identification cards of every gambler, according to the regulation. In December and January, Stars and Stripes heard from dozens of current and former Defense Department personnel who said they have seen South Korean nationals and other unauthorized people using base slot machines. Others claimed they had witnessed or experienced loan sharking operations inside the gaming rooms. The U.S. Army and Air Force generated more than $83.6 million in revenue via 1,191 slot machines in South Korea in fiscal 2007, according to data provided by the Army’s Family MWR Command and the Air Force Personnel Center. The gambling profits are used in part to fund MWR programs. The new regulation requires military police to patrol the gaming areas regularly “in a professional, non-discriminatory manner while being careful not to unduly disrupt the recreational nature of the site.” Military police also can detain suspected illegal gamblers and report them to South Korean police. “Those appearing to flee from the gambling machine site prior to the arrival of law enforcement personnel shall, if practical, be detained by law enforcement and also required to present identification,” the regulation states. Police also are tasked with keeping an eye on the staff in the facilities. If staff members are not checking their customers, police must report the lack of oversight. A servicemember caught aiding illegal gambling can be subject to court-martial for violating a lawful general order, the regulation states. Civilians are subject to adverse administrative action, which can include anything from reprimand to banishment from U.S. bases. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: The only reason this type of article would appear would be that the USFK has found that people started to press and put things back to "business as usual." Guess the USFK now is going to try to police the gamblers ... good luck.) Gambling crackdown brings big revenue drop in South Korea (Jul 2008) Slot machine revenue on U.S. installations in South Korea has dropped by millions of dollars since rules to prevent illegal gambling were introduced in January. But despite the downturn in one of the big funding sources for the peninsula’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation system, officials say users won’t see a drop in services. Revenue for February through April, the first three-month average under the current enforcement measures, was $8.48 million, according to figures Stars and Stripes obtained over the past two months from MWR and Installation Management Command-Korea and the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The amount is a 49 percent drop in the average three-month gross revenue of $16.75 million in fiscal 2007. In fiscal year 2007, South Korea’s Army and Air Force gaming machines took in $67 million of the program’s $113 million gross revenue from bases in Europe and the Pacific. South Korean installations had 623 fewer machines than in Europe — where off-post gambling is more readily available — but still took in nearly $40 million more than Europe. In a January series on gambling abuse and illegal slot machine use at overseas installations, Stripes learned of numerous incidents of illegal gambling by South Koreans without status-of-forces agreement access to bases on the peninsula. Servicemembers and others citing those incidents also claimed there were cases of loan sharking to gamblers needing money. On Jan. 20, U.S. Forces Korea began mandatory identification card checks and increased random police checks, along with other measures to stop illegal practices. In February, each service on the peninsula saw its gaming revenues drop considerably. Kunsan Air Base’s revenues went from $214,297 to $64,122 in one month; Chinhae Naval Base’s revenue went from $370,598.90 to $98,341.98; and the Army’s total take went from $3.97 million to $2.44 million. (SITE NOTE: We wonder why Osan AB which has a bigger populace and greater potential for abuse not reported.) While gross revenues best reflect how much money users are spending on slot machines, net revenue is a better indicator of what comes back to servicemembers in MWR services. In 2007, MWR received about $25 million from the Army Recreation Machine Program fund after it paid for program upkeep. The region’s MWR program expects to have about an $11 million yearly drop in revenue, South Korea MWR chief Dan Ahern said.  That won’t affect services budgeted in MWR Korea’s $130 million annual program as much as it will projects such as new sports fields and buildings. But MWR has already built so many fields and buildings they don’t believe there is much demand left for them at bases expected to remain past 2012, Ahern said. "There will be impact, but to customers it will be essentially invisible," Ahern said. "The program is still very profitable and will be based on projections for next year." Fields on the drawing board like those at K-16 and Camp George have already been paid for, Ahern said. So have several "minor projects" — those costing less than $750,000 — such as a renovation at the Schoonover Bowl at Camp Casey, Ahern said. Other improvements will be covered by the South Korean government as part of the plan to relocate servicemembers at Yongsan Garrison and bases north of Seoul to Camp Humphreys in 2012. The Installation Management Command-Korea, which oversees bases and facilities, is an indirect beneficiary of MWR’s construction projects. "We want to make it clear that appropriate enforcement of the rules against unauthorized gambling will continue, regardless of its impact on revenue or profits," command spokesman Ed Johnson said. He added that the drop in revenues could be attributed to both the new rules and a weakening economy. Since tighter controls went into effect, military police say they have detained only one person for using the slot machines illegally, according to U.S. Forces Korea. "We feel that the new rules have effectively deterred unauthorized persons from attempting to use gaming machines peninsula-wide," USFK spokesman Dave Palmer said. Stripes recently asked numerous soldiers and civilians whether they had seen illegal activity in gaming rooms over the past six months. Although a few said they had seen South Koreans in the gaming rooms, none could be sure if they were unauthorized. Also, no one reported open loan sharking or payments to Korean employees from others for guest access to base gaming rooms. (Stars and Stripes.) PACAF commander re-designates Seventh Air Force, Air Forces Korea (Jan 2008) Korean citizens provided support to Airmen, while Gen. Carrol H. "Howie" Chandler, Pacific Air Forces commander, opened a new chapter for the primary combat air force provider to the Republic of Korea, as he uncased the Seventh Air Force, Air Forces Korea flag and appointed Lt. Gen. Stephen G. Wood, Seventh Air Force, AFKOR commander, Jan. 30. The re-designation ceremony for America's oldest numbered Air Force was translated into Korean and witnessed by close to 2,000 Korean nationals and U.S. and Republic of Korea servicemembers. It also begins a historical new chapter in the transformation of forces in the Republic of Korea. The re-designation effort marks the implementation of the chief of staff of the Air Force's direction to establish an Air Force component organization structured to operate and train everyday in its wartime configuration. Warfighting organizations are being stood up around the globe to enable the effective command and control of air, space and cyberspace forces conducting missions across the spectrum of military operations. The Seventh Air Force, AFKOR operates more than 100 combat and combat support aircraft with the strength of more than 7,800 Airmen and civilians, supporting the ROK/US alliance along with its joint U.S. partners - Soldiers, Sailors and Marines. After General Wood assumed command, with the assistance of Chief Master Sgt. Ray Allen, the highest ranking U.S. Air Force enlisted member in the Republic of Korea, he immediately redesignated one group, inactivated two and activated another in an effort to consolidate and streamline the organization. This new structure promises to improve air and space power, using an Air and Space Operations Center, an Air Force Forces or AFFOR Staff, and a new support group.
February 2008Osan remembers Battle of Bayonet Hill (Feb 2008) Osan held its annual Remembrance Ceremony for the Hill 180 "Battle of Bayonet Hill" Feb. 21. The ceremony, sponsored by the 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment, paid tribute to the gallant actions of the soldiers from the 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds" during a bayonet charge up Hill 180. "We are here today to remember and honor the heroic actions of Captain Millett and the soldiers of 27th Infantry Division, said Col. Jon Norman, 51st Fighter Wing commander. "Because of their heroic actions, America and the Republic of Korea enjoy freedom today."On Feb. 7, 1951, then-Army Capt. Lewis Millett commanded Easy Company, part of the 27th Regiment, through a frozen rice paddy near Osan when they came under attack from a ridge by Chinese soldiers. With his first platoon pinned down by enemy fire, Captain Millet ordered his second platoon to "Fix bayonets -- move left of the first." After facing heavy enemy fire, Captain Millett knew he had to get his men to higher ground. He found the first platoon sergeant and yelled, "We're going up the hill. Fix bayonets. Charge! Everyone goes with me!" Captain Millett continued to fight and kill enemy soldiers until he reached the top of Hill 180. When it was all over, Millett stood atop the saw-toothed ridge and pumped his bloody rifle up and down, signaling to those below that he had conquered Bayonet Hill. Nine soldiers lost their lives charging the hill that day and forty-seven enemy dead were counted on the forward slope of the hill; thirty as a result of bayonet wounds. On the reverse slope lay another fifty enemy, dead of either bayonet or gunshot wounds and witnesses estimated another hundred Chinese soldiers escaped. "Without the noble sacrifices of U.S. servicemembers, there will be no Republic of Korea or freedom," said ROK Army Gen. Paik, Sun Yup (retired), the ceremony's keynote speaker. "The ROK-U.S. alliance continues to prosper because of the commitment and sacrifices of servicemembers. Long live the ROK, U.S. and military branches." The ceremony included the placing of memorial wreaths, a rifle salute by the United Nations Command Honor Guard, an A-10/F-16 flyover, followed by the playing of "Taps." (Source: 51st FW News.) (SITE NOTE: The fight to have Hill 180 recognized as the site of this action was taken by former 51st Wing Historian, John Sullivan, now USAFE Director of History. In the 1990s, the Eighth Army historians would not recognize the action as taking place on Hill 180 though Col. Millett's notes and drawings at the time indicated a lone tree (the Ginko tree on the golf course) and other features that circumstantially would prove it was Hill 180. HOWEVER, the Eighth Army historians -- who have primary responsibility for this historical correction -- would not formally come out and state that this was the area. Up to 2007, the EUSA historians still had not corrected this error. The 51st FW is doing this historical rememberance on its own. The ceremonies started during the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War events in 2001 with the visit of Col. Millet as distinguished visitor. It has continued to the present.) Commissaries get new checkout technology (Feb 2008) CARTS, or Commissary Advanced Resale Transaction System was activated at Yokota’s commissary Jan. 26. Designed by IBM, CARTS is designed to replace the Defense Commissary Agency’s aging system of cash registers, according to a DECA news release. Commissaries in Okinawa and Sagamihara Depot already have CARTS installed, with Yokosuka Naval Base and Naval Air Facility Atsugi next on the list. Officials in South Korea said CARTS is scheduled to be installed in the next few months. Customers can view the list of items they are purchasing on a 15-inch color display next to the register. There is also a price scanning gun, so cashiers don’t have to wrestle with bulky items to line up the bar code with the scanner. And check processing has been improved with the cashier only having to scan a customer’s check into the register, and the information is transferred electronically to the bank. Some customers show surprise, especially when the cashier hands back their check because it’s no longer needed. (SITE NOTE: This is exactly what happened to me. I filled out all that info on the check and it gets handed back. Neat... However, when you're busy stacking the goods on the checkout counter, you really don't have time to keep an eye on the 15-inch display. No biggee as I never could watch it before for the past upteen years of shopping in the commissary.) Perhaps one of the most noticeable improvements with CARTS is the self-checkout lines. “They are very popular and convenient, especially for smaller orders,” Auderer said, noting that since the installation, an average of 25 percent to 30 percent of transactions are completed through self-checkout. He said self-checkout registers feature a quick lookup menu that has pictures of all produce items in the store. Installation of CARTS in DECA’s 268 stores began in October 2006 and is scheduled for completion in May. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: The new CARTS system is for shopper and worker checkout convenience. There is a system to combat black-marketing already in place in Korea since 2005 that works quite well. CASTAR stands for computer-assisted sales tracking and reporting. The program, created by USFK, uses Homeland Security technology to pinpoint suspicious shopping trends, such as when a customer repeatedly buys too many hot dogs and too few buns. Already, shopping receipts from the 12 commissaries throughout South Korea go into the system. The commissaries are run by the Defense Commissary Agency and have a different cash register system.) Red Horse's 2-year transition to Guam finally completed (Feb 2008) The 554th Red Horse Squadron has received its last shipment from Osan Air Base at its new home on Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The final unpacking last week marks the end of a two-year transition from South Korea for the Air Force construction and engineering unit. But the squadron’s move is much more involved than a new address for its 160 members, according to Col. Kevin Kersh, the commander of the 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen. The Red Horse squadron’s new home with the 36th is part of the Air Force’s plan to bolster the military’s ability to establish airfields throughout the Pacific region during natural disasters and crises, according to Kersh. At the same time, the addition of the squadron shows the Air Force’s move toward creating response groups that are “self-contained” units. The 36th Contingency Response Group will be able to deploy, secure or build an airstrip, set up communications for as many as 1,000 people, and provide food and fuel without help from outside groups, he said. In the past, response groups gathered units from different bases during an emergency, Kersh said. “You start working with units you never worked with before,” he said during a phone interview last week. “You need to work out those kinks early on.” The Red Horse squadron officially stood up in January, according to commander Lt. Col. Robert Eric Yates. Also last month, the 644th Combat Communications Squadron was reactivated. It eventually will grow to 145 members, Kersh said. The Commander Warrior School, which trains airmen on securing airfield areas, also moved from Osan and will hold its first class this summer. And eventually, the 554th’s detachment at Kadena Air Base will move to Andersen by 2014, Kersh said. The moves are also part of the Pentagon’s overall restructuring in South Korea, where troops will be consolidated them into a handful of bases in the central part of the country. The plans for the response group were already written before the Pentagon proposed moving 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, Kersh said. For the next two years, the Red Horse squadron will focus on building the group’s headquarters at Andersen’s Northwest Field, which hasn’t been used for years, Yates said. Eventually, the squadron will deploy to Iraq, Afghanistan and bases throughout the Pacific to work on construction projects, he said. One day, for example, the unit likely will return to Osan for temporary stays for specific projects. Until then, the Air Force at Osan will use its base civil engineers for building and repairs, he said. Yates said the move to Guam, a U.S. territory, offers the airmen more than just the comforts of home. In South Korea, the servicemembers were on one-year, unaccompanied tours. The constant turnover of staff was a challenge, he said. “Here,” he said “it gives us the chance to have accompanied tours,” which last three years. Single airmen have a two-year assignment, double the time they would have in Korea. “Now, we get at least two years of support,” he said. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Move of Osan Red Horse (Feb 2008) In Oct 2007, the 36th Contingency Response Group’s planned expansion and the relocation of two Pacific Air Force contingency training courses. The 554th RED HORSE is moving from Osan AB, Korea, to Andersen was to merge with the 36th CRG. The 644th Combat Communications Squadron was to stand up to join the 36th CRG also. The squadron was projected to have two complete teams—growing from 16 to 75 personnel—by late December 2007. And, the bare-base build-up Silver Flag course at Kadena AB, Japan, was set to move to Andersen, as was the Commando Warrior ground defense school at Osan. In Feb 2008, it was announced that the 554th RED HORSE now officially calls Andersen AFB, Guam, home, in a move started in 2005 as part of the drawdown of US forces in Korea. The move of the 554th from Osan AB, South Korea, entailed shifting more than 3,000 tons of equipment and some 150 airmen. The shift to Andersen also comes with a new unit flag and, in a first, aligns a RED HORSE unit under a group and wing, the 36th Contingency Response Group and 36th Wing, respectively. The unit will still cover projects across the Pacific but has undertaken, as one of its first enterprises on Guam, construction of a 200-acre, $178 million expeditionary training campus for Pacific Air Forces at Andersen's northwest field, according to Brig. Gen. Douglas Owens, 36th Wing commander. (Source: AFA Update.) Remembering Marty (Feb 2008) (Commentary by Lt. Col. Curt Walker, 5th Reconnaissance Squadron Director of Operations 2/6/2008) - Recently, we at the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron did what we've routinely done for more than 30 years - strapped a pilot into a U-2, launched him on a high altitude reconnaissance mission, and safely recovered him many hours later in the bone-chilling South Korean night. As always, more than 200 Airmen and civilian contractors worked together to make yet another mission safe and successful. The evening was so cold that you could see steam coming off the pilot's head as he doffed his pressure suit helmet. As the ground crew gathered around the pilot to retrieve post-flight information, the commander emerged from the crowd, jumped up on a maintenance stand and asked for everyone's attention. He then reminded us this date, Jan. 15, 2008, was an ominous anniversary. It was on a night like this in 1992, when Capt. Marty McGregor took off on a sortie from Osan and never returned. He ejected from his crippled U-2 while flying a mission off the east coast of Korea. Extreme weather prohibited an immediate search, but a maximum-effort rescue attempt was planned and coordinated for a few hours later at firstlight.  U-2 (1981) (Mike Triano) Unfortunately, despite Marty's heroic efforts to save his own life and the daring of those trying to rescue him, Captain McGregor died that night. His body was recovered by a Korean fisherman the next day. After telling the story, the commander asked that we observe a moment of silence in honor of the supreme sacrifice Captain McGregor made. In that moment of reflection, I thought of the frantic efforts of a different leadership team, the suffering endured by his squadron mates, and most importantly, the unbearable loss endured by his family. I also thought of the reason our squadron is here, why we ask pilots to engage in such difficult and dangerous work, and why we ask so many to sacrifice so much. The answer is simple yet profound, and it can be distilled to just one word: FREEDOM. The contrast between North and South Korea is never starker than when flying at night in the same airspace Captain McGregor patrolled back in 1992. To the north, there is a black void, not a single light illuminates a town, road or home. In the south, the night is alive with activity; people are free to come and go as they please, airplanes flow in and out of Incheon airport bringing travelers from all over the world, and in the winter, even the ski slopes are illuminated. After the mission debrief, the pilots retired to our squadron bar that bears Captain McGregor's name. We lifted a glass to our brother, thanked him for his sacrifice and vowed that we would never forget. (Source: 51st FW News.) 51st SPS Named PACAF Outstanding Large Active Duty Security Forces for 2007 (Feb 2008) The 51st Security Forces Squadron was recently named the Pacific Air Forces' Outstanding Large Active Duty Security Forces Unit for 2007. "I am very proud of my defenders," said Lt. Col. Gregory Reese, 51st SFS commander. "It is nice that the 800 defenders that came through Osan this past year are being recognized for their hard work." During 2007, the squadron led the way for the DoD in base defense and antiterrorism, completing 5,000 hours of basic ground combat skills for 2,500 wing Airmen, In addition, they performed advanced base defense training for 800 SFS and Republic of Korea Army members. They also published the Air Force's first Installation, Arming and Response program. "Our defenders do a very good job that is sometimes overshadowed by other bases," Colonel Reese said. "But what is never forgotten is that we deter North Korean every day. Many of the defenders who are supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom were train here at Osan, so it is satisfying to earn this recognition." (Source: 51st FW News.) Korean Employees at Osan Beaten by Security Police (Feb 2008) The following was taken from Marmot's Hole which translated the Korean newspaper article. OhMyNews (hangul) reports that a US MP on patrol at Osan Air Base severely beat two old men on Feb 14. According to the USFK Employees Union, two Korean base employees — drivers with the 51LRS — are now receiving treatment in a hospital after they were kicked by US airmen… while they were in handcuffs. A Korean base employee at Osan told OhMyNews today that at around 10:50am on Feb 14, the two drivers, aged 62 and 56, were about to be escorted through a secure zone at the base (”Black Cat,” which a quick Google search leads me to believe is a hanger) when an MP — citing “suspicious behavior” — made them kneel on the ground and put them in handcuffs. He then said the MP kicked them on the back and pressed their faces on the ground, drawing blood. He then put his boot down on the men’s throats, he said. The employee — and now the source is sounding a bit suspicious — said, “Besides these, there are countless instances of human rights abuses… Why must we be abused by the soldiers of another country as we’re working hard in our country.” A union member said the two men were carrying runway entry permits issued by the MPs, and they showed those cards to the MP on guard duty. Afterwards, they took all the proper measures, he said, putting their names and units in the log. They called the airmen who called in a broken-down vehicle at Black Cat, who came out to escort them, but before they could enter the secure zone, the MP on duty suddenly claimed that the entry permits were fake and drew his weapon. The two men were put in cuffs. It was -7~9 degrees Celsius that day, but the handcuffed men had to put their faces on the frozen ground, not knowing why, while one was bleeding from the face because he was pushed from behind while being put on the ground. They were forced to remain in that position for more than two hours, he said. (SITE NOTE: The key question is whether the passes were fakes or not. This has NOT been answered. Whether they followed all the procedures is irrelevant.)Another union member said Black Cat was a strict security area, and that you need to be escorted by an airman to enter. He said the two men — long-time employees at the base — would have definitely known the procedures. He said if the men had entered without escort, the appropriate thing to do would be to charge the two with administrative punishment after a lawful investigation. In fact, he said, it would be the MPs who would be responsible since they failed to carry out their duty to guard the zone. He added that it was impermissible to kick the men after they’d been placed in handcuffs, and that the “nature of the abuse is thickly covered with racism against Koreans.” An official with the union told OhMyNews that they’ve sent an official letter to USFK asking for an explanation of what happened, and that the local chapter heads would meet for an emergency meeting. The union added, however, that they understood that the men weren’t, in fact, beaten. Big Bad USFK — which said the incident was an unplanned incident that occurred during operations and couldn’t be helped — was reportedly not taking responsibility for the incident, said OhMyNews. When OhMyNews called them today, USFK was quiet, saying only that it could not confirm anything at the present time. (Source: Robert Koehler: Marmot's Hole.)  U-2 (1981) (Mike Triano) S. Koreans claim abuse by gate guards at Osan (Feb 2008) Osan Air Base officials said their security personnel followed standard procedures when detaining two South Korean employees who attempted to enter a high-security area on Feb. 14. (SITE NOTE: Whether the guards followed standard procedures is irrelevant. What remains the question is what caused the guard to implement the procedures. The question remains whether the pass was a fake. If so, there are terrible and very disturbing questions that need to be answered immediately by the OSI and Security Police Forces.)But the head of the Songtan chapter of the U.S. Forces Korea Employees Union said the men, aged 63 and 57, remain hospitalized for the injuries and trauma they suffered after being left handcuffed on the ground for an hour in the cold weather. (SITE NOTE: The time on the ground changed from OVER two hours in the OhMy News story to an hour in the S&S story.) He said one of the men was kicked to the ground. “No matter what the cost is, we want this case to be resolved fairly,” said union head Shin Seung-chul. “If it is not properly and fairly corrected, we may go on strike.” Shin said the union sent a letter of complaint to the command on 21 Feb. Base officials said that while detaining the men, one of the civilian’s cheeks was scratched because he moved while being taken to the ground. The movement caused the security forces member to lose his grip and the man to “come into contact with the grass,” where his own eyeglasses scratched his face. The incident occurred after the men tried to enter an area that houses a “highly sensitive strategic national intelligence asset” for South Korea without proper authorization or identification, officials told Stars and Stripes in a written response to questions. The men were detained until “the facts of the situation could be verified,” according to the statement. Both men were seen by a doctor at the Osan medical center. They were released with “no documented medical problems other than one minor abrasion,” according to the statement. Shin, who declined to name the employees, said they were forced to kneel on the ground with their hands cuffed behind them and that one was kicked to the ground and pressed down by his neck. A spokesman said on the night of 21 Feb that security forces follow a standard procedure of putting a hand on the back of a suspect’s head while he’s face down to prevent him from rocking back onto his knees. Shin stressed that the men told him only one of the three security forces personnel acted inappropriately. He said that guard’s actions were disrespectful and indicate “racial discrimination against the Koreans.” Osan officials, however, said the same procedures would be applied to “any personnel, regardless of nationality, military or civilian status, in the same situation.” Osan officials said the security forces commander "explained the situation to the civilian employees, apologized for the misunderstanding and inconvenience created by the event." (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: The key to this whole puzzle is whether their passes were fakes or not. If after one - two hours, they were not released, there is a high probability the passes were indeed fakes. Then there needs to be further investigations into the individuals as possible spies. If the passes were not fakes, the SPs were incompetent. According to the Stars and Stripes, the men were detained until “the facts of the situation could be verified.” Does it take a hour? Both Parties Happy after Negotiations (Mar 2008) South Korean employees at Osan Air Base will receive new training on protocol for entering high-security areas, and Osan officials will expedite a plan to replace all control entry line badges, base and union officials confirmed on 5 Mar. The announcement follows negotiations between Osan and the U.S. Forces Korea Employee’s Union after two South Korean employees claimed they were treated with unnecessary roughness while being detained Feb. 15 for trying to enter a high-security area on the base. Base officials have said their security personnel followed standard procedures when they detained the men. They said the men were trying to enter an area that houses a “highly sensitive strategic national intelligence asset” for South Korea without proper authorization or identification. Base officials said the only injury was a scratch to one of the civilians’ cheek by his eyeglasses because he moved while being taken to the ground, causing the security member to lose his grip. Both men were seen by a doctor at the Osan medical center and were released with “no documented medical problems other than one minor abrasion,” according to Osan officials. On 5 Mar, Shin Seung-chul, head of the Songtan union chapter, said Lee Geon-ui, 63, was released from the hospital this week and will return to work on Monday. He added that Kim Seong-beom, 56, also should be discharged from the hospital this week. Shin said all the hospital bills will be covered under their work insurance because the injuries were sustained on duty. He said neither man will be charged sick leave, but instead will be considered on administrative leave during the time they missed work. (SITE NOTE: Let's see. The men were not injured besides get a scratch (abrasion) on his face as verified by the Osan AB doctors. However, they were staying in the hospital which the workers insurance -- paid for by the USFK -- paid for. Then besides shafting the insurance, they didn't have to spend their leave time as they were on administrative leave -- or paid holiday. As everyone in Korea -- and Korean insurance companies know -- most people who go to the hospital don't stay in the hospital and are only there for the money. Most likely these guys were staying at home during this whole time. But who cares??? I just wish the Stars and Stripes had NOT reported it and made this public knowledge. It just adds to my aggravation. Only thing NOT mentioned was how much the two adjashis made on this incident. But everyone's happy...that's all that matters.)During the negotiations, 51st Fighter Wing commander Col. Jon Norman presented Shin with a letter expressing regret over any injuries that may have occurred, according to an e-mail from command spokesman Capt. John Ross. In the letter, Norman stressed that the command was taking two steps as a direct result of the incident. “First, we conducted a 100 percent audit of all line badges issued to our vehicle operators and others who may require access to the flight line areas on Osan, ensuring our lists are up to date and everyone who works on the flight line is properly accounted for with valid credentials,” Ross stated in the e-mail. “Second, we are now developing orientation briefings for all Korean nationals who work around our high-security areas.” Ross said the biggest misunderstanding in the incident is believed to be the men’s “lack of familiarity with our procedures in a high-security environment.” The $38,000 project to reissue all line badges was planned several months ago and budgeted to occur this spring, according to Ross. "This particular incident only serves to confirm our decision to give everyone on base a new badge," Ross said. (SITE NOTE: Hogwash...these adjashis have probably been working on base before the young Captain was born. They know the regs damn good...and they knew a good scam when they saw one.)Shin stressed the incident has not harmed the relationship between union workers and the base and they’ve agreed to work together to improve their work through better communication. Ross echoed those sentiments 5 Mar afternoon. “Negotiations have gone very well and I believe both parties are very happy with the agreement we reached,” he said. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) March 2008Osan apartment building to open this month (Mar 2008) An eagerly awaited high-rise apartment building that will house command-sponsored families at Osan is set to open this month, officials said. The 14-story, $27 million Hallasan Tower will house 112 families and has a playground and a four-level parking garage with 417 spaces. The $3.2 million garage will serve Hallasan residents and those of another nearby housing tower set to open in May. Osan officials were to take formal possession of Hallasan Tower on Friday. Families will begin moving in later this month, said Tech. Sgt. Matthew L. Summers, a spokesman for Osan's 51st Fighter Wing."For those families that are downtown and would rather live on base, yes, it is eagerly awaited," he said. Command-sponsored families whose assignments entitle them to three- or four-bedroom housing are eligible for housing at Hallasan, Summers said. Letters outlining the move-in schedule have already gone out to those families, Summers said. Hallasan has 80 three-bedroom and 32 four-bedroom apartments, two passenger elevators and a service elevator. Seven of the four-bedroom units are set aside for disabled persons under the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said. Each three-bedroom unit measures about 1,950 square feet; each four-bedroom unit is about 2,250 square feet. When the 10-story, $23.7 million Jirisan Tower opens in May, it will have 104 apartments for command-sponsored families. "First and foremost, it's improving the quality of life for the accompanied members, because in the past there had been very limited on-base housing for accompanied members," Summers said. In addition, he said, the U.S. military in South Korea has been moving to increase the number of command-sponsored families "to stabilize this tour and provide more continuity for the base, as opposed to in the past, when everyone rotated out on a one-year tour." Construction on Hallasan began in November 2005. The Woojung Construction Co. Ltd. carried out the project under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hallasan Tower amenities All apartments at Hallasan Tower include the following amenities: Balcony off the living room Two full bathrooms Carpeted living room and bedrooms Closet space in all bedrooms and in the foyer entrance Washing machine and dryer Kitchen equipped with a dishwasher, a refrigerator with freezer, and an electric range with smooth glass top Ceiling fans in all rooms Dimmer lights in the living room Occupant-controlled heating and cooling Crown moulding  At Osan Air Base, this new 14-story apartment building will become home to command-sponsored families. A separate four-level parking garage will serve residents of the building, which is called Hallasan Tower, as well as residents of a nearby 10-story apartment building set to open in May. Osan Air Base set for twin runways by 2010 (Mar 2008) The U.S. Air Force will build a second runway here, enabling its fighter base nearest North Korea to launch more aircraft. "We will be able to launch and receive twice as many aircraft than we can now, in the same time," said Capt. John Ross, chief spokesman for Osan's 51st Fighter Wing. "The main reason we are proposing to build a new runway is because the current runway we have is 55 years old and showing signs of deterioration," he said. Construction of the $95 million concrete runway is projected to start in January 2009 and be completed by December 2010. It will be 9,000 feet long and usable by the same aircraft types that the existing runway can support. Those include heavy cargo planes such as the C-17 Globemaster III and the mammoth C-5 Galaxy. Osan's existing runway also is 9,000 feet. "Deploying personnel who are coming to the peninsula land here; cargo shipments for USFK and for us, land here. Visiting dignitaries — recently, the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Air Force; we've also had presidents — land here," Ross said. He said the runway design is about 30 percent complete. "And then we need to contract the design to a builder," Ross said. It will be for aircraft making nonprecision instrument approaches only. The existing runway can support precision instrument approaches, Ross said. Operating the new runway is not expected to call for additional staffing, Ross said. Like the existing runway, the new one will lie east-west. It will be just north of the older runway and just south of the Jinwi River at the base's northern perimeter, Ross said. "The original runway was built in 1953 in a six-month period of time, immediately following the war," Ross said, referring to the Korean War of 1950–53. "It was built quickly and during the rainy season," he said. "So the concrete used to build that runway is now deteriorating. (SITE NOTE: Not true. See 1952: Osan AB and Songtan Area. Wondering how this will layout playout as sounds like a parallel runway, but this will mean the entire north side of base will be be pushed up to the fence line. My questions come with the security easements outside the base where the rice paddies now sit. Are those addressed in these new runway plans?"A new runway will allow us to continue operations while we repair the old runway or perhaps even demolish and reconstruct it." While U.S. and South Korean officials have discussed the eventual enlargement of Osan Air Base, any such action would not be because of the new runway, Ross said. "It's under discussion, but there's no firm plan," he said of any possible expansion. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Osan will host more Air Force families in coming years (Mar 2008) The number of command-sponsored families at Osan Air Base is expected to double in the next several years. But because of budget and space constraints, about 90 percent of the base’s airmen still will serve one-year remote tours without family, officials said on 7 Mar. Kunsan Air Base will remain 100 percent a remote assignment, said Air Force Capt. John W. Ross, chief spokesman for Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing. Osan currently sponsors 236 families on and off base, Ross said. But a certain number of families based at Camp Humphreys, about a 30-minute drive south, also rely on Osan for school enrollment and medical care. No figures on how many Humphreys families use Osan’s schools and hospital were immediately available, Ross said. However, a massive expansion under way at Humphreys will see construction of schools and medical facilities, and will mean those stationed at Humphreys eventually won’t rely on Osan for such services, Ross said. Plans call for Camp Humphreys to triple in size and become the U.S. military’s flagship installation on the peninsula. As the Humphreys construction progresses, Osan will see a gradual increase in the number of Air Force command-sponsored families it can serve, starting next year and continuing into 2012, Ross said. Within that three-year period, base officials expect the number of command-sponsored families to grow to 562. About half of those will be housed on base and the rest in off-base housing at Air Force expense, Ross said. The vast majority of those families will be Air Force, Ross said. “We are currently expanding our middle school, and that will give us some more room for the school system,” he said. “But there is no discussion of expanding our hospital, our elementary school or our child development center,” Ross said. “We require a great deal more funding than we currently have to take on those major projects.” Although Osan now has the resources to support up to 512 command-sponsored families, base officials have kept the figure well below that to avoid overcrowding in such crucial areas as school enrollment and medical care. “Those are very important places where each individual needs attention,” Ross said. When a servicemember is accompanied by family under the command’s sponsorship, the tour is two years. Unaccompanied airmen travel without their families and most likely live in a dorm room here. For people who are married with children, the unaccompanied assignment can be difficult if they spend that year away from their families, Ross said. Osan supports a total population of 10,200, a number that includes active-duty military personnel, Defense Department civilians, U.S. military retirees, family members and South Korean employees, Ross said. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Osan to close Beta Gate for road repairs (Mar 2008) Osan Air Base will close one gate and open another during repaving of one of its most heavily traveled roadways, officials said on 14 Mar. The Beta Gate was to shut down Saturday and is projected to reopen April 22. In the meantime motorists can use the nearby Doolittle Gate. The base’s Main Gate and AFOC Gate, open to privately owned vehicles, will operate as usual. “It will reduce wear and tear on vehicles coming into the base that have had a bumpy ride coming in from the Beta Gate for the past year,” base spokesman Capt. John W. Ross said of the repaving. Workers will repave about a three-block section of Beta Gate Road, which runs from that gate into the base’s interior as far as Perimeter Road. The project will cost $235,000. Doolittle Gate will be open to outbound traffic at all times until the repaving project is finished. For inbound traffic, Doolittle will be open to contractors from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and to all other privately owned vehicles from 6:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. “We have done a series of spot repairs for the past year on this road,” Ross said of Beta Gate Road. “And over the past year, the road has washed out often. … The road has eroded away from rainfall.” Before June 2006, Doolittle Gate was the entry point for commercial vehicles and for large vehicles such as those used by construction firms working on base. But that month, officials closed it to traffic, partly for security reasons. They instead made Beta Gate the entry point for all commercial vehicles. At the time, officials said use of that gate would allow for faster traffic flow. And a search pit at the gate would enable security forces to more thoroughly inspect incoming vehicles. Since then, contractors and other commercial drivers have had to stop at Doolittle, sign in at the security desk, drive to the Beta Gate and enter the base there. But during the repaving of Beta Gate Road, Doolittle will be both the sign-in and entry point for commercial and large vehicles. “We’re fortunate that Doolittle Gate is so close” to Beta, about a three-minute drive away, Ross said. “It should be a fairly simple reroute for the time the Beta Gate is closed.” (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: Our comment: Well, it's about time!!! UPDATE: The completion date was slipped at the end of April and it was still closed in May 2008.) Osan taxi driver facing action for vulgar videos (Mar 2008) AAFES officials have taken disciplinary action against an Osan Air Base cab driver who appears in an online video making sexual comments and gestures and shouting profanity out the window while driving on base. The driver, Lee Keun-rok, 48, also appears in a second video in which he jokes with passengers about using cocaine and heroin. Each YouTube video was filmed inside a moving taxi on base by American passengers who laughingly encourage Lee’s statements. Lee is a driver with the Hae Gang taxi service, which operates cabs on Osan Air Base under contract with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. He has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, AAFES spokesman Master Sgt. Donovan K. Potter said. AAFES said in an e-mail response to Stars and Stripes that it “strives to provide our taxi customers with a safe, quality experience, which is clearly not demonstrated on the videos in question.” One video, titled “Korea Taxi Driver — ‘Playboy,’ Osan AB, Korea,” was added to YouTube on Jan. 3, according to information posted on the Web page. At several points in the video when Lee shouts out the window, he appears to be shouting at passers-by. Interviewed Wednesday, Lee repeatedly insisted there were no people on the street when he shouted his statements. Various details within the video, however, contradict his claim. At one point — 1:32 minutes into the video — someone yells back an answer to Lee. A second video, “Playboy the livest cabbie at Osan,” was added to YouTube on Jan. 27. When a passenger asks if he’s used cocaine, Lee says that he will perhaps use cocaine, heroin and other substances. In Wednesday’s interview, Lee said through an interpreter that he has never taken illicit drugs, would not do so, and that his comments in both videos were purely for the amusement of his passengers. Lee said servicemembers taught him American profanity and have often encouraged him to use it when they’re passengers in his cab. He said he has complied to make them happy and in hopes of a bigger tip. (SITE NOTE: The tapes actually do show that the servicemembers actually encouraging him and his using such language in return -- sort of a bonding ritual. The passengers know the cab driver so have used his taxi before. The language these people use is no different from the language I have heard on Shinjang Mall by servicemen after having a few beers and walking down the street in groups shouting profanity at each other. The bottomline is that the taxi driver was set up by his passengers and encouraged by their own vulgar comments. The videos on YouTube are at Video 1 and Video 2. According to the commentary on YouTube, this driver has been doing this same routine for over two years -- and the people enjoyed his "commentary" and no one -- male or female -- has filed any complaints on him before. This would have never come up if the GIs had not put the videos on YouTube.)Chong Son-kyong, Hae Kang’s taxi manager for Osan, said Wednesday that Lee was a “good driver” and had not been the subject of any customer complaints. But Chong said the use of the language in the video was inappropriate. If a woman was walking on street and heard that language, Chong said, “that’s no good.” Lee said he would hereafter refrain from shouting vulgarities from his taxi. Senior leaders of Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing said they will monitor AAFES handling of the incident. “The 51st Fighter Wing had not heard of this particular driver before this inquiry, nor seen any video footage of him,” according to an e-mail from Wing spokesman Capt. John W. Ross. Base authorties will review the videos to determine if any action is warranted against airmen in the videos, according to the statement. “However, this may serve as a good example to our people about the consequences of posting videos on the Internet,” according to the statement. “If you’re doing something you don’t want your commanders to know about, taking video itself is a bad idea, but posting it on You Tube can have serious results for everyone involved.” (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: The USAF airmen involved in the video are the folks that need the censuring. They setup the taxi driver and then rushed to put the video on YouTube. These are the same types of folks who publish videos of sexual acts in the barracks of their inebriated co-workers and friends -- for all their mothers and relatives stateside to see -- all in the name of "fun." However, these are also the types of folks who publish videos of acts that bring disgrace to the USAF and USAF members. Freedom of expression is one thing, but when you hurt others with the videos there has to be a price to pay. Thus far all these bozos are getting off with nothing. On blogs, generally the same opinions are expressed by many expats who are retired GIs.)EPILOGUE The following appeared on the blog GI Korea: "I filmed “Playboy @ Osan AB”. I posted it on YouTube. It has been circulating on the internet since Aug of 2007. Since then, the video has been a hit. I have been out of the sevice since Jan 07, and as a civilian, I am entitled to post such videos and share the experiences. It’s pretty sad they the cab company had to worry about people having fun. I can be reached via e-mail kenny@rockstaredition.com, or visit http://www.rockstaredition.com. Kenny Paddock on April 1st, 2008" Osan airmen counseled for vulgar videos (Apr 2008) Osan authorities have counseled two members of a group of Air Force police officers who appear — in uniform and on duty — in online videos that contain obscene language and song lyrics that express hostility toward certain racial and religious groups. Two airmen were counseled Tuesday morning at Osan, officials said, adding that authorities will contact other airmen who appear in the videos but who have moved. The action follows a 31 Mar inquiry into the videos by Stars and Stripes. The airmen, current or former members of the 51st Security Forces Squadron, appear in uniform in three videos on MySpacetv.com. A fourth video on the same site features U.S. servicemembers in civilian clothes — including at least some who were police squadron members — and contains obscene language and gestures, references to allegedly stolen goods and to prostitutes in Suwon City. There also appears to be a hostile comment addressed to a Capt. Daniel Vorenkamp, who had been a squadron member, base officials said Tuesday. More than a dozen servicemembers appear variously in the videos. Squadron commander Lt. Col. Gregory Reese counseled two airmen in his office, according to Capt. John W. Ross, Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing spokesman. They were the only two of the group still stationed at Osan, he said. Ross said he could not divulge details of the counseling because of privacy rules. “The behavior shown in the videos, while immature and inappropriate, does not call for any stronger action than a verbal counseling to the individuals appearing in it,” Ross said in an e-mail 1 Apr. All four videos appear to have been posted by the same person, according to information on the Web site. The three with airmen in uniform were posted Oct. 10, 2007; the fourth was posted Nov. 2, 2007. (SITE NOTE: Only when the heat was turned up did the USAF in Korea react. The taking of videos while on duty and then posting them to YouTube, MySpace and blogs has been going on for quite a while. These types of videos are inspired by videos from troops in Iraq on patrol showing up on LiveLeak and YouTube and on blogs. Thus this reaction is to "take positive action" to "counsel" the parties -- something that can range from a friendly chat to a chewing out. Not my business... HOWEVER, THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO "COVER YOUR ASS" BY MAKING IT LOOK LIKE THERE WAS SOME "POSITIVE ACTION" BEING TAKEN!!!Two of the videos were made inside a defensive fighting position. In one of those videos, “Go DiEZel ... SpeaK on IT,” an airman raps lyrics from the song “I’m a Gangster.” The lyrics include hostile references to whites and Jews. A third video, “Just another day at work,” shows airmen standing outdoors near two Humvees. One asks the others if they’ve seen a certain woman about whom he makes a sexual comment. In the fourth video, “Sloopy in Suwon,” a female appears to state, “Uh, Capt. Vorenkamp, you can go kill yourself.” The same woman is seen making an obscene gesture to the camera twice. When she puts a shirt over her head, a male companion makes a derisive reference to Arabs. Earlier in the video, three other males talk of their activities. One refers to “hookers” and another says “up in Suwon, man, for what, forty bucks?” Stars and Stripes became aware of the videos within days of reporting that the Army and Air Force Exchange Service at Osan took disciplinary action March 27 against a cab driver who appears in an online video making sexual comments and gestures and shouting profanity out the window while driving on base. In a second explicit-language video he joked with passengers about drug use. Ross said Tuesday that as a result of the taxi videos, the 51st Security Forces Squadron over the weekend was “reminded that private actions aren’t always private given their position and responsibilities. Special emphasis was also given to what is posted on Internet sites." (Source: Stars and Stripes.) July 2008Family apartment building opens at Osan Air Base (Jul 2008) At Osan Air Base in South Korea, 10-story Jirisan Tower has opened for occupancy. Jirisan’s opening completes a three-building series of family housing construction aimed at easing the shortage of on-base accommodations for command-sponsored families. Apartment features All apartments at Jirisan Tower include the following amenities: Balcony off the living room Two full bathrooms Carpeted living room and bedrooms Closet space in all bedrooms and in the foyer entrance Washing machine and dryer Kitchen equipped with a dishwasher, refrigerator with freezer, and an electric range with smooth glass top Ceiling fans in all rooms Dimmer lights in the living room Occupant-controlled heating and cooling Crown molding The newest high-rise family apartment building has opened at Osan Air Base. Workers continue to put final touches on the exterior of the 10-story Jirisan Tower, but command-sponsored families have begun moving in, officials said on 1 Jul. Jirisan is just yards from the 14-story Hallasan Tower, which opened March 24. A $3.2 million, four-level above-ground parking garage with 417 spaces opened in March to serve residents of both towers. Of Jirisan’s 104 apartments, 72 are three-bedroom units, each 1,800 square feet; 32 are 2,100-square-foot, four-bedroom units; five meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Jirisan also has two playgrounds, one for kids 2 to 5, the other for 6- to 12-year-olds. The Isu Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd. built the $24.4 million Jirisan under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District. Construction began in September 2005. Jirisan is the last in a three-tower series of housing construction aimed at easing a scarcity of on-base housing for command-sponsored families. The first of the three was the nine-story Seoraksan that opened in April 2006 with 112 units. With all three now in use, officials Monday closed the aging Mustang Valley Village, an eight-acre, seven-building area that housed 199 families. It was built during 1979 and 1980. Senior Master Sgt. Marvin Krause, an Osan spokesman, said Jirisan and the other two towers will especially help families who had been living off base and will now be close to such amenities as the commissary, base exchange and Osan American School. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) New Community Center (Jul 2008) Airmen and kids who live at Osan Air Base got a first look Wednesday at their new community center and said they liked what they saw. Officials opened the McPherson Community Center with an afternoon ribbon-cutting ceremony at Building 916, next to the base library. Some airmen made straight for the game room’s green-topped pool tables, where the sharp click of pool balls was soon heard. A group of teenage boys, full of laughs, got up an exuberant game of darts on the electronic dart boards. "Safely, safely," a nearby adult reminded them. Across the room, a set of youngsters chatted at the Foosball table. "It’s beautiful," said Staff Sgt. Rachael Herrmann, 27, sergeant in charge of operations at the Air Force News Agency’s Detachment 15. And it seems to have exactly what the base needs. Those amenities include a room with 12 computer stations, each with webcams and free Internet access. Three people were already making use of them within minutes of the opening. Herrmann soon will leave Osan for her next duty station. "But I’m excited to see the airmen who are going to be here have a place like this," she said. Eleven-year-old Joseph Dickinson enters sixth grade at Osan American Elementary School in the fall. "This’ll be very enjoyable," he said. He’s especially looking forward to playing pingpong, but he also took note of the computers and the center’s Xbox gaming stations. Each has 32-inch screens and reclining seats. "It’s going to provide necessary enjoyment, very needed enjoyment" for the base community, Col. Jon A. Norman, commander of Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing, said during remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. And Norman announced the center will be closed to children after 6 p.m. Funds for the $4.6 million project came from South Korea’s defense ministry under its burden-sharing arrangements with the U.S. military. The Shin Woo Construction Co. built the center under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District. Center hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. (SITE NOTE: McPherson Rec Center replaces the old "temporary" building that has housed it for so many years down near the Challenger Club. It occupies the area previously filled by the old Food Court that was torn down along with the old BX. It is named after a long-time Services worker who handled the recreation center at Osan AB for many years and became a fixture in the community.) (Source: Stars and Stripes.) August 2008Police: Alleged victim limiting investigation of possible Osan rape (Aug 2008) South Korean police said Thursday their efforts to investigate the purported rape of a teenager outside Osan Air Base late last month are being stymied because the girl’s family is uncooperative. Police said the girl’s mother reported on Aug. 29 that her daughter was attacked about 3 p.m. in the bar and shopping district outside Osan. (SITE NOTE: We heard it was at 1 pm. Allegedly the girl cut class at Osan American High School where she is a sophmore and ended up at the mall. The rape occurred at the restroom at the rear of the mall where there are not many people -- even during weekends. People on the mall use the restrooms at McDonalds. The Korean police were given a description of the perpetrator, but he has not been caught.)The girl is the daughter of an American employee at Camp Humphreys, authorities said. But a South Korean investigator told Stars and Stripes on Thursday that the girl and her family have refused to speak with a female investigator or to otherwise give information to police in Pyeongtaek. They said the mother on Friday first contacted agents of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command at Camp Humphreys. Army investigators in turn notified the Korean National Police, who are now leading the investigation. The Army agents are acting as a liaison between the police and the family, said Robert McElroy, spokesman for U.S. Army Garrison-Humphreys. According to police, the mother gave conflicting information as to which spot in the shopping district the assault was said to have occurred. The girl was seen at Osan’s base hospital and then released, McElroy said. He said he had no immediate information on whether the girl sustained physical injuries. Meanwhile, women at Osan have been advised not to go off base alone until an arrest is made. One airman said Thursday she’d thought a sexual attack in broad daylight outside the base was impossible because of steady pedestrian traffic through the area. People are at every corner, said Staff Sgt. Sophal Duong, 26, of Greensboro, N.C., assigned to 7th Air Force (Air Forces Korea). Nevertheless, she said, it’s a good idea to heed the base advisory and not go off base alone. (Source:Stars and Stripes.) Kunsan Air Base to take part in Korean air show (Aug 2008) Kunsan AB will open part of its grounds to the public in early October for a free air show put on by the U.S. and South Korean air forces. The Oct. 4-5 show will be the first hosted by the base and Gunsan City and is expected to attract thousands of visitors, said Maj. Stephen Pinchak, assistant director of operations for Kunsan's 35th Fighter Squadron. The show will include flying demonstrations on both days above the nearby Saemangeum seawall and an aircraft display on the base's emergency landing taxiway on Saturday. Visitors will be able to walk through larger aircraft and look inside the cockpits of fighter jets. The aerial events will include a four-ship formation of U.S. and South Korean jets flying together, an aircraft rescue demonstration, and a parachuting demo by the U.S. Wings of Blue Air Force Academy jump team. Flights are expected to take place between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on both days, though a schedule has not been finalized. "This is a base effort. Everyone on the base has some role to play. Everyone is involved," Pinchak said. The show will coincide with Gunsan City's international auto parts expo. Pinchak said about 50,000 people are expected to attend the auto show each day, and "we're expecting somewhere in that neighborhood" to attend the air show. Chae Mi-young, a spokeswomen for Gunsan City's tourism department, said getting to visit the U.S. base and see how troops live is a "big deal" for Gunsan City residents. "Everybody knows about the air force and its capabilities, but they have never had the chance to see it or feel it, even though it takes up a big part of our hometown," she said. The air show is a significant part of the city's yearlong tourism campaign, Chae said. Pinchak said parking at Kunsan Air Base is discouraged, and visitors should park at the expo center and take a free shuttle to Kunsan Air Base. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) FINALLY…Kunsan AB has an Open House … well, kind of … er, sort of. It's really a ROKAF "open house" on Kunsan AB. It's NOT a USAF open house — but the USAF is participating in the Korean air show and most certainly will have its aircraft on static display — perhaps along with other USAF aircraft from Osan (if they get an invite). But the main point is that there is FINALLY going to be an open house at Kunsan AB after over thirty years – even if it is for the ROKAF. US Air Base to Hold Aircraft Exhibition (Oct 2008) The U.S. 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in North Jeolla Province will hold a static display viewing of fixed and rotary wing aircraft and ground demonstrations of U.S. and South Korean military assets Oct. 4, the wing said Wednesday in a press release. The exhibition will open to the public 11 a.m.-5 p.m., it said. Aircraft on display are F-16K, F-16, F-15, F-15K, F-4, A-10, KT-1, T-50, AV-8, HH-32 and HH-60G, according to the release. (Source: Korea Times.) (SITE NOTE: Well, they're getting there. However, the aircraft on display are mostly ROKAF aircraft -- indicating this isn't one of the USFK supported functions.) Kunsan welcomes community at air show (Oct 2008) Thousands of people watched as American and South Korean fighter jets swooped, dipped and dived over South Korea's east coast on 4 Oct as part of the first air show held by Kunsan Air Base and its host city. During the first day of the two-day air show, A-10s and F-16s flew in formation and performed tricky maneuvers along Gunsan City's Saemangeum Seawall. Several aircraft dropped flares, Blackhawk and Apache helicopters staged a mock search-and-rescue operation, and special forces troops parachuted onto reclaimed land that used to be the ocean floor. Senior Airman Brian Bisauta, a munitions inspector at Kunsan, said he's used to seeing and hearing the noisy jets at work, but he liked watching them in a more relaxed setting. "You know that they're not flying missions," he said. "They're just enjoying themselves. It's fun to see." The air show also included a static display of aircraft on Kunsan's emergency landing taxiway. Officials said they wouldn't have an estimate of the crowd size until the two-day air show was over, but about 50,000 people were expected to attend an international auto expo held in conjunction with the air show. Airman First Class Johnny Phaxay, a maintainer at Kunsan, was one of a handful of Americans who watched the flight demonstrations. More than 200 Kunsan airmen are in Alaska for the Red Flag-Alaska exercise, and many airmen worked at the static displays on base Saturday. "It's kind of refreshing to see planes other than your own flying," he said. Maj. Mike Briggs, an F-16 demonstration pilot based in Misawa, flies for audiences throughout the Pacific and said air shows are a strategic tool to strengthen ties between the U.S and other countries. "It's a blast," he said. "For 15 minutes, I'm flying for the pure sake of flying. There's 15 maneuvers in the show, and I couldn't do 13 of them if I wasn't a demo pilot." Back at Kunsan, South Koreans were allowed to make a rare trip onto the base to see aircraft brought in from as far away as Japan and Hawaii. 8th Fighter Wing commander Col. Bryan Bearden said the static display, held on an emergency landing taxiway on the edge of the base, wasn't part of the initial plan for the air show but was added to "pay back the community." A small village of farmers lives beside the taxiway, separated from the base by a fence and a few acres of yellow rice paddies. "They hear the noise and see us coming and going," he said. "I wanted them to have some access here since they live off the base." 1st Lt. Dom Calderon, a C-17 pilot at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, posed as parents took pictures of him and their children in the cockpit of a C-17. "People come up here, and they're so excited about it, especially the kids. They want to know what everything does," he said. Airman First Class Jorge De La Torre, an F-16 crew chief at Kunsan, answered questions from South Koreans about an F-16 on display. He said many wanted to what kind of bombs the jet could carry. In particular, they wanted to know what the missile-shaped tank on the underbelly of the jet was for. "They think that tank is a bomb, but it actually carries fuel," he said. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: It appears that there were air demonstrations and other US aircraft involved (i.e., C-17 static display) that was not in the original announcement. The airshow portion was done over the Saemangeum seawall portion just off the base -- and easily viewed from the Kunsan side. There were also parachute landings and demonstrations of helicopter rescues. From the photos, the Korean public loved it.) Sept 2008Suspects stymie investigation into mad cow cases (Sep 2008) Mad cow disease hasn’t killed anyone in South Korea, but it killed a Korean police investigation this week. West Incheon police won’t try to find the end supplier in a black-market ring on U.S. bases because of stubborn suspects and fears of re-igniting the anxiety over U.S. beef imports that gripped South Korea for months, police said on 17 Sep. Earlier, police arrested a Songtan storekeeper — a 41-year-old woman identified only as "A" — along with another woman for violating the South Korean Food Sanitation Act. They arrested their supplier, a 49-year-old identified as "B," who ran a shop in Seoul’s Namdaemun area.The three storekeepers would not name the next link, an investigator close to the case told Stars and Stripes on Thursday. "We’re not really certain if they know who the end supplier is," the investigator said on the condition of anonymity, which is customary in South Korea. The suspects earned about $126,000 since March 18, 2005, the investigator said. They allegedly sold beef, pork, over-the-counter medicines and other products stocked at base post exchanges and commissaries. About half of the products they sold were illegal, although some of them, such as Viagra, did not come from U.S. bases, the investigator said. The investigator says he expects prosecutors to charge the three suspects, but he says they’ll likely be fined and spared prison time. The investigator said government officials criticized the police department for continuing the investigation because it cast attention on U.S. beef making its way to South Korean dinner tables and restaurants. This summer, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans protested in the streets when the Lee Myung-bak administration struck a free-trade deal allowing U.S. beef back into the country. The beef had been banned by the previous administration when a Canadian cow imported into Washington state in 2003 was found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as mad cow disease. A South Korean TV news magazine claimed that most Koreans carry a gene making them more susceptible to mad cow disease, though they later retracted the report. Commissary and Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials in South Korea were unavailable for comment late 17 Sep. Police believe the black-marketed goods came from Camp Humphreys, Osan Air Base or Yongsan Garrison because of their proximity to the suspects’ stores. Officials encourage anyone who witnesses black marketing to report it at DSN 738-5118. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) (SITE NOTE: What makes this story stink to high heavens is that the "next link" was the providers of goods from the Commissary and BX. I have seen boxes of Downy (without Korean labeling) stacked outside a store in Shinjang Mall -- not a grocery store -- and could pretty well guess where it came from. There is also supposed to be an operation going on in Songbuk Open Market, but I'm not sure of the location. To me, the "next link" are in the Commissary and BX warehouse personnel -- and this is an AFOSI function. What stinks is that they are going to kill the investigation -- and the AFOSI is NOT doing what they are paid for. It stinks that they nail small time abusers by tracking using the CARTS system -- a simple process now -- but they have NOT gotten into the thefts by Koreans who work on base. October 2008USFK revokes SOFA visa renewals after audit -- Many unaware of rules giving them 'ordinarily resident' status (Oct 2008) U.S. Forces Korea officials are denying status of forces agreement visa renewals to many civilian contractors who lived in South Korea under a different visa when they were hired. Most contractors who lived in South Korea for more than a year under a different visa — even if that was 15 years ago — are considered "ordinarily resident" in South Korea and are ineligible for SOFA status, according to USFK regulations. The sudden scrutiny comes on the heels of an audit of USFK’s procedures and its compliance with the regulation guiding the invited contractor program."An ongoing Army Audit Agency audit has revealed that USFK Regulation 700-19 was not properly enforced by [USFK Chief of Staff, Acquisition Management]," USFK wrote via e-mail following a Stars and Stripes query. As a result, some invited contractors who have worked with USFK for decades and have top secret clearances are losing their SOFA visas — and in some cases, the jobs that require that status. USFK said it has reviewed more than 1,000 files since June and revoked SOFA status from 12 contractors. But contractors who spoke to Stripes said there are many among USFK’s 2,200 contractors who are concerned about further reviews. Some say they will give up their jobs, pull their children out of school and move to the United States at considerable personal cost until they can re-establish stateside residency and regain their SOFA status. Other contractors say they can’t even do that because Contracting Command Korea is telling them they’ll deny SOFA requests if they re-apply for the same position. Without SOFA status, contractors cannot use base grocery stores and post exchanges; they do not have access to military banking; they must pay South Korean taxes; and their families can lose access to nearly all base services, from hospitals and day care to schooling. The regulation states that living in South Korea under a non-SOFA status for more than one year makes a person ordinarily resident in South Korea. However, the 63-page regulation defines establishment of U.S. residence more vaguely. It says that when hired, contractors must normally maintain a residence in the States, but doesn’t specify for how long. Contractors cannot be "ordinarily" resident in both the United States and South Korea at the same time. Stripes spoke with 11 contractors, nine of whom who asked to remain anonymous because their SOFA status is under scrutiny. Others declined to be interviewed, even under anonymity, because they said they feared retribution. Low on options Some contractors agreed that they had once been in South Korea under a different visa for more than a year and that under the regulation, they were ordinarily resident in South Korea. However, each of them say they were truthful about their employment histories; their applications for SOFA status were approved by USFK and the South Korean government when they were hired. "If they’ve been screwing up for 20 years, to make everybody pay for what they did wrong is not right," said contractor Jaime Olivaras, who is not under review. He said he knows five people whose SOFA visas may be in jeopardy and has heard of several others in the same situation. Olivaras and others say contractors should be grandfathered into SOFA status because they were initially approved as such. Although USFK officials aren’t firing these contractors, some contractors say their jobs with their companies require SOFA status. "Some shops are small. If they take out half of a critical area, that’s impacting operational readiness," Olivaras said. With the U.S. economy in dismal shape, contractors who cannot do their job without SOFA say they aren’t sure what they will do next. Others, including Korean-Americans and U.S. citizens with Korean spouses, say they will apply for a different visa and keep their jobs, but forfeit their SOFA privileges. "If I had known I couldn’t qualify for SOFA, I would have taken another job," one contractor said. "But it’s too late to change direction now." Another contractor says he may have to resign and move back to the United States just long enough to gain ordinary resident status there, though he will have to pull his children out of school, de-register his vehicles and spend thousands of dollars relocating. He was told his SOFA status could be revoked after more than a decade because when he retired from the armed forces, he worked in South Korea slightly more than a year before finding an on-post job. "There’s nothing in writing that says how long I have to go back to the U.S.," he said. "This doesn’t pass the common sense test. They are making all of this up on the fly." The contractors, all of whom said they are U.S. citizens, say they’ve been told different things when they asked how long they would have to return to regain U.S. ordinary resident status. Some are communicating through an e-mail address, ordinarilyresident@gmail.com, which a contractor set up to bring together others who are concerned about their jobs. One contractor says that between USFK jobs, he took a non-SOFA status contract job that was nevertheless overseen by Contract Command Korea. In his case, moving back to America for 45 days might be enough to regain residency. One Osan Air Base contractor was told that even if he moves to the United States for 60 days, he might not get SOFA status back this year if he tried to regain his job. He alerted his military sponsor, who asked 7th Air Force lawyers for a legal review of his case. USFK officials said they were not aware of any legal investigations at Osan that would change their regulatory interpretation and Osan officials were unable to comment by deadline Monday. When asked how long contractors must return to the States to be eligible for SOFA status, USFK replied that "the decision as to whether the contractor is ordinarily resident in the U.S. is based on all the facts and circumstances applicable when that contractor is hired." Each contractor’s SOFA status will be evaluated upon their renewal date, USFK added. Fed up Keith Boeck came to South Korea with the Army in 1984 and remained on active duty until 1990, when he took a civilian job. In 1999, he suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident and stopped working. He didn’t go back to work until 2003. Because he took more than a year off, Boeck became ordinarily resident in South Korea and was no longer eligible for SOFA status, according to the regulation. His application for SOFA status was accepted in 2003 without exception. It was renewed multiple times until July. Boeck says he was never notified by Acquisition Management or Contracting Command Korea that his status was revoked. He had to hear it from his boss. When Boeck asked for a formal letter, his boss contacted Scott Bonner, a Contracting Command Korea worker. Bonner responded that legal counsel told him to pass all correspondence through intermediaries and have no contact with Boeck or other employees losing their status, according to official correspondence. Boeck might have retained his job; his wife is Korean. He also is eligible for South Korean residency status because his father was a member of Task Force Smith, the first U.S. unit to arrive during the Korean War. But after nearly 25 years of USFK service, Boeck said the insult was too much to take. "I regret having to resign but I am fed up with this military and their mentality," Boeck wrote in his resignation letter, which was provided to Stripes. "They made the mistake of granting me a visa for 6 years and rather than grandfather in those, like me, who have been working so long and hard, they just kick you to the curb." Boeck is an expert on M1A1 tank maintenance and Multiple Launch Rocket Systems. He and others have skills sets and a fondness for South Korea not commonly found, contractors say. "How are they going to fill positions with people who have no source expertise, no top secret clearance and get people stateside to come over here to work on [short-term] contracts?" asked one contractor. "Nobody is going to do it, unless they are [on temporary duty assignment]. And how much is that going to cost the government?" (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Osan will open doors to public for air show (Oct 2008) Osan Air Base will open this month’s annual air show to the Korean public for the first time since 9/11. The air show runs Oct. 11 and 12 and this year is tied to observance of the 60th anniversaries of Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing and of the South Korean armed forces. Since 9/11, Osan had admitted the Korean public to the air show on an invitation-only basis. Visitors were typically members of civic and other community groups whose leaders were invited through the base community relations staff. The 51st Fighter Wing’s public affairs chief, 1st Lt. Malinda Singleton, could not explain Tuesday what led base officials to ease the restrictions on the public. (SITE NOTE: This is NOT true. The previous air show was open to the public who had to show ID at the gate. The bus would shuttle the people to the entrance near the flightline. Enjoyed ourselves.) Earlier this year, the Army at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek opened its July 4 weekend celebration to the general public, the first time it had done so since 9/11. In one scheduled highlight at this year’s Osan air show, spectators will see an aerial demonstration of how Air Force and Army aircraft work jointly to recover a downed aircrew. The demonstration will feature an A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane, an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet, and two Army helicopters, an AH-64D Apache and a UH-60G Black Hawk. Other aerial demonstrations are scheduled by a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, an Air Force F-16 fighter, and a single South Korean air force F-4 fighter-bomber. Displayed on the ground will be the Army Patriot Missile System and South Korean air force anti-aircraft weaponry, as well as additional aircraft and military hardware. Visitors will be admitted through Doolittle Gate, which opens at 9 a.m. and closes to visitors at 3 p.m. The show ends at 5 p.m. To be let in, Korean citizens 17 and older must show their Korean Identification Card. School-age children must show student IDs. Children without IDs must be with an adult who has one. Visitors who are not Korean citizens must show passports. No pets, skates, skateboards, bicycles, alcoholic beverages, backpacks, large purses, radios, coolers of any kind, food or weapons will be allowed on base. Bags will be searched. For more information on the Osan air show, go to www.osan.af.mil. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Young and old appreciate Osan air show (Oct 2008) Osan’s two-day annual air show opened under sunny skies Saturday, with several thousand mostly Korean spectators turning their eyes skyward for a series of high-performance flying stunts that delighted youngsters and adults alike. Both U.S. and South Korean warplanes took part, roaring through their repertoire of climbs, loops and dives. When an F-16 fighter jet executed a precision roll, the rapt crowd reacted with: "Oooohhhh." Parents pointed skyward to help their children track the fast-changing maneuvers that ran the precision-flying gamut from the "Cuban 8" and the "four-point roll" to the "knife-edge pass," the "high-speed pass," the "slow-speed pass" and the "high-G turn." It was a crisp, sometimes windy day and families turned out in jeans and fall jackets. Among the planes in the air Saturday was a large black U-2 reconnaissance aircraft that rose from the runway with a great noise and climbed so high so quickly that it was only moments before it was gone from view. An A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane showed off its speed and agility in attacking ground targets and evading enemy fire. But if the spectators were eager to see the aerial demonstrations, it was the long row of blue-topped food tents that ran a close second as the day’s big crowd pleaser. On offer were such air show standards as hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken kabobs, pork barbecue, caramel apples and cotton candy. Some families laid down mats they’d brought with them and sat on the tarmac eating. (SITE NOTE: I had dokbokki -- rice cake in pepper sauce -- for "breakfast".) Also on display Saturday were a variety of U.S. and South Korean fixed-wing planes and helicopters, several U.S. Army Patriot missile launchers, and other military hardware. One of the biggest draws seemed to be a UH-60 Black Hawk of the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade from K-16 Air Base in Seoul. For hours, families lined up five, 10 and more at a time to have their toddlers seated in the cockpit. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Herlt stood by and helped each child in, greeting them with a smile and motioning for them to put on a big flight helmet. With Company C, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Aviation Regiment, Herlt said he enjoyed the crowds and found visitors friendly and polite. "A lot of ‘Please,’ and lot of ‘Thank you.’…A lot of appreciation for putting the kids in the cockpit," Herlt said. This year’s show, officially called Air Power Day 2008, is tied to the 60th anniversaries of Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing, and of the South Korean armed forces. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) On 11 Oct , the festivities started with the SFS Military Wroking Dog Demo followed by the Hwaseong City Doorae Nongak (Farmers Dance Troupe). At 1100, the ROAF SOF parachute jump was followed by a U-2 flyby and then the A-10 West Coast Demonstration team show. The U-2 demonstrated just how slow it could linger over the field as well as how noisy it can be taking off. The A-10 demo was very impressive with simulated blasts across the runway to show "ground attack." Its tight turns were impressive. At 1150 there was the ROK Marching band followed by the ROKAF F-4E flyby. Still love that beefy roar of the F-4E when it hits AB (after burner).   Food Stall row (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Food Stall row (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Food Stall row (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   ROKAF Hawks (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)  (L) ROKAF Hawk X-band (R) ROKAF Vulcan cannon (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   PAC-3 Patriot Missiles (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   PAC-3 Patriot Missiles (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   PAC-3 Patriot Missiles (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   (L) PAC-3 Patriot Missiles (R) USAF F-15 (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Flightline (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Fire Department (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   (L) Bradley (R) Flightline Humvee (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Avenger (Stinger Missiles) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Flightline (Bradley, Humvee) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   ROKAF Parachute Demonstration (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   ROKAF Parachute Demonstration (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   (L) U-2 on Runway (R) ROKAF F-4E on Runway (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   (L) AT-50 on runway (R) F18 Tomcat (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   (L) U-2 (R) Blackhawk Medivac (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   AH-64D Apache Longbow (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   MAC Ramp: Flightline (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   F-16C (36th FS) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   A-10 (25th FS) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   Flightline (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008) Gunsan City changes name of district at behest of U.S. base commander (Oct 2008) It’s 9 p.m., still early for a Saturday night, as airmen trickle into the mom-and-pop restaurants in this dimly lit neighborhood for bulgogi, ramen and greasy fried mandu. Clusters of airmen stand outside and smoke, and around the corner, where the diners turn into juicy bars, music is already starting to blare. Welcome to America Town, a tangle of narrow streets and neon lights where generations of airmen from tiny Kunsan Air Base have gone to eat, drink, buy souvenirs and meet women. "It’s like a legend. Everybody knows about it in Korea. People tell stories," Senior Airman Michael Downard said over dinner at Big Boy Restaurant, a clean but simple one-room diner with five tables, sagging wallpaper, and a pink plastic pig on the front counter. Make that the former America Town. Set in the middle of sprawling farmland, this ramshackle bar district has an ambitious new name that leaders from nearby Gunsan City hope will be the first step in its makeover and, ultimately, its role as an international tourist destination. Kunsan commander Col. Bryan Bearden suggested renaming A-Town after he arrived at the base in late spring. Now on his third tour in South Korea, Bearden said he has developed a "great respect" for the country and that it’s wrong that an area in the middle of South Korea should be named after another country. "I didn’t want to call it America Town. I wanted it to be more representative of the community," he said. (SITE NOTE: The base has tried to kill A-town for the past ten years -- but could not. Now it is taking the next logical step -- Just rename the town. The base wants to get rid of the prostitutes but can't figure out how to do that without interferring in local politics. This name change is a laughable farce. It doesn't change what A-town is -- a low-class GI bar row.) Bearden asked Gunsan City mayor Moon Dong-shin if he wanted to change the name. The mayor agreed and even paid for the sign, Bearden said. Bearden suggested calling the area Barley Town, or B-Town, after the barley fields surrounding the district. The city took suggestions from historians and Kunsan airmen, whose nominations included "Healing Spirits," "Peace Ville," "Global Ville" and "Holy Ville." Moon selected the winning name: "International Culture Ville," which reflects the city’s ambitions to become a major port for Northeast Asia, and its hope that A-Town will become a tourist draw as the city grows. Local corporations donated 12,500,000 won, approximately $9,000, for two new signs. The city quietly unveiled the signs in late September, and put the tallest one on the turnoff that leads to the town. Across the street is the old sign for A-Town, hanging on a neon orange palm tree that blinks at night. Most airmen panned the new name. "I laughed when I saw the sign," said Staff Sgt. Kurt Weisel. "The military makes this place what it is, and it’s A-Town," said Staff Sgt. Cody Martin. "I heard about A-Town before I even got here," said Senior Airman Daniel Lane. "It’s always going to be A-Town. They might change it, but it’ll always be referred to as A-Town." (SITE NOTE: I remember when it was called "Silver Town" -- and yes, there was a sign over the bus stop area.) Local business owners don’t think much of the name either, saying the area is far from international. "The new name doesn’t match this neighborhood at all," said Jang Gil-hoon, who owns a sportswear store there. He said 85 percent of the area’s customers are American airmen, and the rest are workers from the Philippines and Uzbekistan. He said the town reminds him of undeveloped parts of South Korea during the 1970s. The city has done little to make the area nicer for residents or airmen, who sometimes come into his store looking for a garbage can for their cans and cigarette butts because they can’t find one on the street, he said. "I feel personally sorry for the soldiers in this poor environment, where there is no good place to enjoy themselves," he said. Cho Kyung-soon, owner of Mama’s Restaurant, said the name was "kind of dumb." She thinks city leaders want to improve the area, but she’s skeptical that they’ll do anything. She said she wants Kunsan airmen to have a nicer area near their base where they can relax, instead of going to Osan or Seoul for fun. "They see me as a real mama, and I treat them as my real sons," she said. "Serving one airman is a lot better than 10 Korean ... customers. I hope the city develops the neighborhood, so the airmen can enjoy themselves." Even Han Byung-wan, a spokesman for Gunsan City’s construction department, said the new name doesn’t fit the town — yet. "The new signposts are the first sign of change," he said. Han said area residents have asked the city for years to clean up A-Town, famed for decades for its South Korean and foreign prostitutes. The prostitutes disappeared long ago, he said, and the bar area started to become less rowdy about five or six years ago. The city wants to further spruce up the town by building a giant shopping center, and areas where troops can relax and the city can hold festivals. Bearden said the new name will become more popular in about a year, because of the high turnover rate at Kunsan, where airmen serve one-year unaccompanied tours. At least one airman thinks the name change is a good idea. "I was here 10 years ago, and this place hasn’t changed a bit. Maybe if they change the name, maybe they’ll get more than just GIs coming here to drink," said Master Sgt. Dennis Hamm. (SITE NOTE: Actually the A-town of old has changed quite a bit since the 1990s when the America Town became popular. The old Silver Town name came from the Okku name meaning "silver". The streets are macadamized rather than the concrete topping that got slick with ice in the winter. Changing the name will not change anything. Wrote on GI ROK Drop on 15 Oct: "Actually A-town used to be called Silver town before when it came into being in the 1970s. Supposedly the name was derived from the Ok-ku area meaning silver. A-town (American Town) actually started into use in the late 1980s — though the sign painted on the building behind the bus stop still said “Silver Town”. By the mid-1990s, A-town was the accepted moniker — along with the “new” sign the town erected over the gate to the ville proclaiming it American Town. Was thinking of posting a vignette on the history of A-town from my site, but it is pretty negative about the military — meaning commander policy in the early 2000s dealing with the fight over prostitution so decided to skip it. Stopped updating that page in 2005 after I moved to Osan. This latest name change is just another way of the base trying to pretend that it has no “camptown” outside its base. Let’s be real…the base graders were used to build the original road leading into A-town in 1971; GI lived in A-town from its inception till the base moved them all on base; Base doctors/medics provided VD clinic services since its inception. Dear Wing Commander — changing the name will not wash away the fact that it was a place built specifically for the “needs” of the GI population and for 30 years the base hierarchy condoned its operation. Sorry — a name change won’t make your hands come clean. Too many GIs remember how it was.") November 2008Kunsan Air Base commander is relieved of duty (Nov 2008) Kunsan Air Base’s commander was relieved of his duties Monday by Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Howie Chandler due to lack of confidence in the colonel’s performance, according to U.S. Air Force spokesmen. Col. Bryan Bearden, 45, had commanded Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing since May — completing six months of a one-year tour. "The decision was driven solely by duty performance factors," according to a Kunsan news release on Monday.The wing includes roughly 2,700 airmen and 15 squadrons, including two F-16 squadrons. Col. Jerry Harris, 13th Air Force director of operations at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is to replace Bearden. In the release, Bearden said he had been honored to serve as 8th Fighter Wing commander. "With our mission comes a significant responsibility and accountability. Clearly, that starts with me and I take full responsibility for performance across this wing," he said. Bearden will be reassigned to a position outside South Korea. That position had not been determined as of Monday, a PACAF spokesman said. Officials said they could not comment on how Chandler had measured Bearden’s job performance, or whether the decision to relieve him was based on the results of last week’s peninsula-wide operational readiness exercise, held quarterly at Kunsan. Bearden was in his third tour in South Korea and his second at Kunsan. He served in Daegu in 1990, and was stationed at Kunsan as a captain in the 80th Fighter Squadron in 1993 and 1994. During an interview in October, Bearden said team building was the hardest part of his job given Kunsan’s rapid turnover. This tour was harder than his first tour at Kunsan 15 years ago because he now has two young children, he said. Almost all airmen are sent to Kunsan on one-year unaccompanied tours because of the remoteness of the base. That remoteness creates a bond among airmen, he said. "This is a very special place," he said. "People are so much closer here." Bearden is a command pilot with more than 2,000 flying hours. Before coming to Kunsan, he commanded the 43rd Maintenance Group at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. He has received a number of awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star Medal. He received his commission from the Texas A&M University Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1987. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Inspections cost 8th Fighter Wing chief his job, new commander says (Dec 2008) The former commander of Kunsan Air Base was relieved of his job earlier this month because the base’s maintenance group did poorly on a performance assessment in the spring, and again on a reassessment in September, the new commander said on 29 Nov. Col. Jerry Harris, who assumed command of Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing in mid-November, said the decision to relieve Col. Bryan Bearden was an "eye-opener" that left many puzzled. "When a commander comes in, they need to fix the issues of the wing they were given," Harris said. Bearden was relieved of his duties Nov. 10 by Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Howie Chandler due to lack of confidence in the colonel’s performance. "The decision was driven solely by duty performance factors," a Kunsan news release said at the time. Bearden was halfway through his one-year tour at Kunsan when he was relieved. The 8th Fighter Wing, which includes two F-16 squadrons and four other groups, received an overall rating of "satisfactory" during the routine Unit Compliance Inspection in April. The inspections are conducted by Pacific Air Forces inspectors, and the ratings, which range from "outstanding" down to "unsatisfactory," become an official measure of a unit’s performance. The 8th Maintenance Group, which is responsible for the upkeep of Kunsan’s F-16s, received a "marginal" rating on the April assessment, the second-lowest score. PACAF re-inspected the maintenance group in September, and gave the group another "marginal" rating. During a second re-inspection, which began Nov. 10, two days before Harris arrived, inspectors decided the major problems had been corrected, he said. "Had this been a first look, [the maintenance group] would have been rated an excellent," he said. Harris, 45, said he was chosen to replace Bearden because he had recently been assigned to a position in Hawaii and could be moved easily. He had been director of Air, Space and Information Operations at Hickam Air Force Base since July 2008. "They had the ability to replace me pretty quick," he said. Harris said he will lead Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing for at least 12 months and possibly for as long as 14 or 15 months. During that time, U.S. Forces Korea is expected to continue moving toward normalizing tours — doing away with one-year tours without families — for all troops. Most other U.S. military bases in South Korea have a least a small percentage of troops who are stationed there with family members. But Kunsan has no schools, family housing or other facilities needed for accompanied, family-friendly deployments that military officials want to make standard across South Korea. "We are years behind everybody else and the starting point that they’re on," he said. "If we have to normalize in the next two, three or four years, we do not have the infrastructure, and we could not get it in time. We would rely almost 100 percent on the local community." About 2,700 airmen and soldiers, all on unaccompanied tours, are stationed at Kunsan. Harris said the base would need more buildings and more space to normalize tours, and he plans to talk with Gunsan City’s mayor about the issue. Simply adding more high-rises for housing wouldn’t work at Kunsan because the buildings are so close to the flightline, and families might have to live in off-post housing. This is the first time Harris, an F-16 pilot who flew combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, has been stationed in South Korea. He said Kunsan is different from other Air Force bases because airmen don’t have their families and can be more mission-focused. He also said it is a "refreshing change" to be able to work closely with South Korea’s air force, which shares a runway with Kunsan. (Source: Stars and Stripes.) Adoption Abused for Enrollment in Schools at US Military Camp (Dec 2008) An increasing number of Korean parents have their children adopted by Americans working for the U.S. military to enroll them at American schools on army bases, according to parents and school staff. They say the number of adopted Korean students has recently risen at the Seoul American High School (SAHS), a Department of Defense (DoD) Dependent School at Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul. ``Recently, I saw a sharp rise in the number of adopted Korean students coming to this school. Korean people are very clever, so they do whatever is necessary for the education of their children,'' said a 40-year-old mother of two children in the 9th and 10th grades at the school. ``If you visit immigration agencies in Itaewon, you can find many Koreans trying to have their children adopted by foreigners for education,'' added the woman, who declined to be named. The school's students and teachers also admitted to the rise in the number of adopted students. According to the school, about 670 dependents of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Civilian Personnel assigned to Seoul attend the federal public school. Among them, nearly 30 percent are Asians, mostly Korean. Asked about the deliberately adopted Koreans who attend the school, Assistant Principal Bernard Hipplewith said, ``We have some (adopted Koreans) here. Yes, we have quite a few of them. I don't think we don't have huge problems with them.'' DoD schools were established in 1946 to provide education from kindergarten through grade 12 for the children of American military and Department of Defense (DoD) personnel stationed overseas. Korea has a total of eight DoD schools in Seoul, Daegu, Osan, Pyongtaek and Jinhae. Some immigration agents in Itaewon work as brokers between Korean parents and Americans. An immigration agent who has worked in the business since 1974 said many Koreans who have foreign relatives usually have their children adopted by uncles and aunts who hold foreign passports. ``More than 90 percent of my customers wish to send their children to English-speaking schools. I handle three to nine cases per month,'' the agent said. He says he charges some two million won per case as commission. He said fees parents pay to guardians differ widely. ``When not related to the guardian, the fee depends on how much the guardian requests. Usually, you need to pay step by step when you obtain either U.S. residency or citizenship.'' He said it could easily exceed 200 million won ($150,000). He said it generally takes two-and-half years for an adopted child to get a Green Card post-adoption and another six months to obtain U.S. citizenship. Moreover, the agent said he has witnessed many children, via ``fake adoption,'' enter other international schools in the area, with many Korean university professors among his main customers. Eligible applicants to such schools are categorized into four types; Command-sponsored dependents of U.S. military and DoD civilians with orders to Korea and representatives of federally connected contractors; Dependents whose sponsors are employees of the State Department and other U.S. governmental agencies, the Red Cross, USO, and representatives of federally connected contractors; Non-command sponsored dependents of U.S. military; Dependents of private U.S. citizens (including retired U.S. military) and citizens of foreign countries. The schools charge some $20,000 in yearly tuition, but command-sponsored dependents of U.S. military and DoD civilians and non-command sponsored dependents of U.S. military attend free of charge. An international schoolteacher there hinted many children adopted by Americans are attending elementary and middle schools. Considering other U.S. military schools outside Seoul, the number of such children could easily be much larger. A Korean staff member at the school said, ``You know some irregularities always exist wherever you go.'' The Seoul Central District Court sees such irregularities as possible causes of legal disputes. ``Fake adoption for other purposes from Korean parents who are able to look after their children could be legally problematic and there are cases in which courts cancel such adoptions,'' said a judge from a family court in Seoul. ``It could mean the fabrication of documents and abuse of adoption. But we need to take a closer look at cases of international adoption.'' Adoption agencies also expressed concerns. ``This kind of fake adoption could only happen in Korea. A child can be a member of a new family via adoption. We need to think about the meaning and values of family and should know how it influences children when they are removed from their original family registry,'' said Kim Eun-hee, a spokeswoman of Holt Children's Services, a non-profit organization that facilitates domestic and international adoptions. ``At the same time, Korean courts need to thoroughly scrutinize adoption hopefuls, as in other countries, to prevent abuse of the system.'' (Source: Korea Times.) AFOC Static Displays   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) Base Auto Hobby Shop and A-10 Static Display:   (L) Osan AB Auto Hobby Shop (R) A-10 Static Display (Sep 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Golf Course:   (L) Golf courses fairway looking towards AFOC at top of hill. (R) Osan AB Base Golf Course (west side) (Sep 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Osan AB Base Golf Course (west side) (R) Golf Course with Oriental House in the distance (Sep 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Osan AB Base Golf Course (northwest side) (Note Antenna to right side) (R) Ginko Tree on Golf Course (Sep 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   Ginko Tree on Golf Course (Sep 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Golf Course from Ginko Tree (R) Ginko Tree Limb supports (Sep 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Doolittle Gate:   (L) View of Runway with A-10s shooting passes from Doolittle Gate area (overrun area) (NOTE: The blur is a dragonfly -- not a helicopter.) (R) Security Police at Doolittle Gate (31 July 2006) (Tongil News) Osan AB viewed from West Side (Seotan Myeon):  Osan AB (Nov 2002) (Tony Cruz) (SITE NOTE: AMC Ramp (Diamond D) to right and Diamond C to left. Patriot batteries near to Chinwi River. The new BX had not been constructed at the time, but the area had been cleared. Turumi Lodge to the lower right and 51st Wing HQ to lower left.)   (L) View of ricefields to the west of base (R) Patriot Batteries seen from across the Chinwi River (31 July 2006) (Tongil News)   Osan AB West side of base runway, Ammo Bunkers and Diamond area (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Osan AB West end overrun area (R) West of Osan AB looking northwest (Chinwi River to right) (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) East end of runway looking at Diamond A area (R) Chinwi River east of Osan AB (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Miscellaneous Links:
KALANI'S PERSONAL SONGTAN JOURNALJanuary 2008New Year's a Complete Bust (Dec 2007-Jan 2008) On 28-29 Dec Jean Kim -- one of my daughter's oldest friends from Kunsan -- came to visit us. She also was one of my first students when I started to teach English to my daughter -- and we've been friends with her family for over ten years. Unfortunately, Jean's visit was a complete bust. It was a rather dull time as there isn't much going on during the holidays. My daughter and Jean spent a day wandering at Shinjang Mall and the local area and then I showed her some of the local sights. It was a very boring tour as things are all shuttered up for the winter. For example, took her out to the temple in Jinwi, but all the outdoor statues were covered and the temple itself had all the doors locked. However, it was kind of neat when it started to snow when we got there and it was just so peaceful and tranquil in that setting.  Jean (29 Dec 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Boram accompanied Jean back to Kunsan on 29 Dec by train to spend the night there and meet her old friends. Unfortunately, the cold snap hit and transportation was a nightmare down there. It had about two feet of snow on the ground and in Kunsan, this means that people don't move outside of their houses. With the wind, the chill factor gets below zero in a hurry. On 31 Dec, Boram returned to Songtan and had an interesting experience along the way. She caught the taxi from Iksan (Jean's home) to the new Kunsan train station in Changhang. When she got there, there was a KBS television crew waiting to interview her. It seems that she was the first passenger to catch the train from the new station. She was presented with a clip-on calendar/clock/photo holder as a memento. The interview may have been just local broadcast on KBS. According to Boram, the new station is like the station at Songtan and looks very modern. Geez, I still remember that old station from years ago -- and I have to agree that it's about time that it was upgraded. So much for a boring New Year's. Besides dinner with my brother-in-law, Kiltong, at the Oriental House on base, we went nowhere. It had been a while since I ate there. The remodeling looked very nice, but their bibimpap (vegetable and rice) was terrible. The ox-tail soup seemed passable, but if I had to recommend eating from their Korean menu, I certainly wouldn't. If you want to eat Korean, go downtown!!! The holidays were spent watching the TV serial Heroes (1st season) and Dead Zone (1st and 5th seasons) on CDs. New Year's was a complete bore! Xmas Tree still up After New Year's (Jan 2006) The Xmas was still up after New Year's -- same as in Hawaii long, long ago. Love the Xmas tree lights -- but the real reason is I'm just too lazy to take it down. Brother-in-law's family came to visit from Seoul on 6 Jan -- and my nephew Suil loved the tree. He was trying to disassemble it at every opportunity by taking off all the ornaments. But then he's at the age where the hands go everywhere to pick things up. Shelly, my cocker-spaniel, went into hiding because Suil wanted to poke her eyes out with a pencil. Suil had cookies in one hand -- that Shelly wanted to eat -- and sticks in his other hand to hit Shelly with. Poor thing -- Shelly was doing her best to stay out of Suil's way. (SITE NOTE: Finally took the tree down on the 20th of Jan.)   (R) Suil & Mom -- as Suil tries to get at tree (L) Suil at Xmas tree with Shelly's Xmas dog toy (6 Jan 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (R) Nephew Suil (L) Kisana & family (6 Jan 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Suil's at the age when its fascinating to watch him -- but his mom and dad are just exhausted trying to keep him out of everything. While I was playing with my computer, he and I were "fighting" as he tried to disassemble my room and his little fingers were trying to push all the buttons on the computer keyboard. He did succeed in shutting down my computer as I was in the midst of writing this. Geez, he's fast. Typical meal of left-overs from New Year's -- oxtail soup with Mandu and chopchae -- just like in Hawaii long ago where we would have leftovers well into the New Year. The soup was in the freezer and keeps for a long time. The next season for leftovers is the Lunar New Year in Feb that is just around the corner.  O'Sullivan Family at home (6 Jan 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Boram - Self-shot photo (23 Jan 2008) (R) Shelly in snow sweater (4 Feb 2008) (Boram O'Sullivan) Kalani's English Club (Jan 2008) I moved to this small hole-in-the-wall in Jun 2007. For the record, its address in Aju 2 Apartment Sanga (Business Building), Room 209. Most people would call it a rat-trap, but it's sufficient for what I do. I teach very small classes by referral -- by word of mouth only. In other words, I do NOT advertise. After I stopped teaching in my house, I lost all my students and many do not know that I now teach here. But at the same time, I'm not into competing with any of the hagwons (academis) for business. It could turn mean in a hurry and I don't need the hassles in life. From owning a hagwon in Kunsan, I know how cut-throat the other academies (hagwons) can be.  Kalani's English Club: Outside Window Sign (Aug 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) As I stated in 2007: I have been an English teacher in Korea for over 15 years -- and yes, my degree is in education though so outdated that it is worthless. As an English teacher, I have learned to teach Koreans the hard way through a lot of self-study -- and trial and error. Made a lot of mistakes along the way -- and I will make more ahead. But as long as my successes outweigh my failures, I don't feel bad about what I do. My ex-students went on to use their English in education, government, and industry throughout Korea.  Shelly thinks everything is hers (Jun 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Shelly and I spend a large portion of our weekdays during the warmer months in my small office. Needless to say, during the super-hot summer months and freezing winter months, I only stay there during the teaching times. It is bright and sunny with all the comforts of home (TV, VCR, DVD, computer, microwave, convection oven, a portable gas stove, small fridge, small kitchen facilities, bed, etc.) and I find it a very comfortable place to relax. Though the office is not much to look at, it is much more comfortable for my dog and I to stay over at the office rather than stay home. During the warmer months, I usually just enjoy watching DVDs there after the few classes I have -- and I sometimes I cook lunch there too or nap. The space just barely fits the bookcases, desk and other furniture. However, the space has windows that let in the breeze during the warmer months -- when there is a wind -- for very nice cross ventilation. Though it does get stuffy if the breezes die, it is a lot better than other places I looked at that faced another building wall and had no air flow at all. As I have no air conditioner -- only fans -- it can get very stuffy and hot during the summer. In 2008, invested in an airconditioner so the summer months are not too much trouble. The winter is another story. I have an oscillating halogen heater for chilly weather as well as a LPG heater for freezing weather. The only problem in winter is that it takes an hour to heat the place up -- and it can be mighty chilly until it does. I moved my plants over to my little office where they are thriving because of the sun in the room and hallway. The other two shops also like it as the plants brighten up the formerly dingy hallway. At home, the apartment is in the shade most of the day so the plants do poorly there. In the winter, I moved most of the plants into the room and leave the hardy ones outside in the hall. Still winter takes a toll on my plants. In Mar 2008, I rearranged the room as it was feeling more and more crowded especially after I moved a throw away sofa into the office. Basically, I moved the bookcases against the entrance wall, moved the sofa next to the desk on the inside wall, moved the table with stools into the room to put one of the computers on top. Threw out the food cabinet and nightstand to make room. End result: Looks more spacious and things seem to fit right...though still cramped. At the same time, my daughter Boram started taking a liking to staying over at the hagwon after I finish classes -- perhaps because it is starting to warm up now that it's Spring. There's the computer with internet, a radio and TV with tons of DVDs if she's interested, canned foods in the drawers -- instant rice, spam and soups -- if she's hungry. Better yet, the corner grocery store is on the first floor, as well as a restaurant (at least until 9:00). It has all the conveniences of home -- including the bed (with a winter 30 degree sleeping bag) if she's tired. However, I think it is more that she has a place where she can do anything she wants without anyone watching over her shoulder. The first thing she did was start downloading all of her favorite photo graphics programs (i.e., Photoshop) and uploading them onto the computer. Then she started taking a calligraphy class and the place turned into a workshop after hours for her to practice her calligraphy skills.  Hall Entrance (Aug 2007) (Jun 2007) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (top) Computer desk and bookshelves (bottom) View from kitchenette towards hallway side (Mar 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: A lot of the furnishings are throw-away stuff I hauled up to reuse. The sofa was a discard that I hauled up to the office.)   (top) Entrance side wall looking towards kitchenette (bottom) Entrance looking towards Shelly's bed (Mar 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) As it stands right now, I have barely enough students to cover the rent and utilities -- but I still consider it worth it. I do NOT have to worry about any more complaints from the residents where I live. I do not advertise and rely strictly on referrals from other parents. If it weren't for my military retirement check, I wouldn't be able to afford to teach in Songtan. Considering everything, my hourly-rate is just a little above Korean minimum-wage -- like the kids working part-time at restaurants. The bottomline is that I'm actually subsidizing a portion of my students English education out of my own pocket ... but I have no regrets in doing it. My students are special students who want to learn English -- and I want to teach them.
I felt very discouraged and started to wonder about my abilities as a teacher. The amounts I'm charging are extremely low considering that they are getting personalized instruction -- and I pay for all materials. Even with this, I have attracted no new students. In May also started looking around for a CHEAP airconditioner. Was surprised that used airconditioners are about the same price as brand new ones. The prices have dropped dramatically this year as there is a glut in the market. The room is small (about 7 pyeong = 23 sq meter). The used shop has a airconditioner for 32.5 sq meter for 600,000 won, but there are new models (at the low end) for between 790,000 - 680,000 won. Not much difference. Of course, you can spend up to 4,000,000 won for the deluxe models. In June got a new standup LG airconditioner for 700,000 won. During the hot summer months, spent most of my time at the hagwon simply because it is a lot cheaper to cool one small room rather than a whole house. Quite satisfied with the investment. Also pleasantly surprised that the airconditioning cost for the hagwon during the peak July heat was only about 70,000 won for the month. In August, things took another turn for the worse as "Jump Start English" hagwon opened up nearby -- next to Aju Apartments. I can see it from my window across the parking lot and over the wall of Aju Apartments. I probably can't expect any more students. As I stated before, this place is the worst place in the world to teach English. There are illegal teachers everywhere and more hagwons than you can shake a stick at. However, sadly I also see that it is taking its toll on hagwons in Songtan. The old G&B Hagwon down near the bank sold out and now is the SnL English Hagwon. Such is life in these times. Have seriously started considering moving back to Kunsan. I may not have a job, but atleast the sea shore and mountains will be nearby. The people there also know me -- especially the hagwons where many of the teachers are my former students. The schools are also filled with my former students -- and the standing request of many of my former students to teach their children. Songtan has turned into a major disappointment with too many hagwons and very few students to go around. Also I'm still awaiting my DD Form 214 (Military service document) so that I can apply for jobs at Kunsan on-base. Though I have been out of the service for twenty years, there are still openings for Education specialists and I think I my experience can apply. The 51st FW Historian, John Okonski, recommended that I apply for the Kunsan AB Historian position, but because my application did not include a DD-Form 214 I'm certain my application was trash-canned. As of Oct 2008, I am having all kinds of mixed feelings about Songtan and continuing teaching here. This is not a good location for a teacher in my situation.  This is a DPRK poster that was used by the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union (KTEWU) and posted on their website in 2006 as "educational material" for third-fourth graders. This is why I'm glad that Roh Moo-hyun and his progressives are now gone. However, I wonder if the Lee Myeong-bak ilk will be any better in swinging 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Anyway, I like the poster simply as artwork -- sort of like retro-Mao Tse-tung era.   How Shelly sleeps -- minus the cigarettes and booze. (Fun Hub) New Rule to Require Leashes on All Dogs -- but not yet (Jan 2008) All dogs taken outdoors must be on leashes after a revision to the Animal Protection Act takes effect. Dogs must also wear tags with the names and addresses of the owners written on them. A fine of 100,000 won will be imposed if pet dogs are unleashed or when the owner fails to clean excrement, and 200,000 won if dogs are untagged. (SITE NOTE: Osan AB has implemented the microchip requirement already...and of course, the pooper scooper requirement has always been in place. It's just that no one has followed it. There are only a few Americans who walk their dogs that I see carrying the plastic bags for the dog poop. The Koreans simply let their dogs run free to do their business.) The following is a Q&A on the key points of the law. Q: Do pets other than dogs need to be tagged? A: For now, the law only targets dogs. The animal registration decree to be enforced in certain towns in the second half of this year will also target dogs only. (SITE NOTE: The registration policy has already started at Dongbu Apartments. DONGBU APARTMENTS IS NOT PET FRIENDLY!!!!!! However, the dog poop fiasco from last year has started again. Medium sized dogs pooping outside our window and the management does nothing. My action is that I will move the dog poop to the middle of the path to give the person who is letting their dogs go that I am not happy -- and the management can take whatever actions they want.) Q: Any designated format for the tag? A: There is no fixed format. Tags can be purchased at pet accessory shops, the veterinarian or on the Internet. They’re usually around 5,000 won. (SITE NOTE: Will get the tag for Shelly.) Q: What should be written on the tags? A: The name, address and phone number of the owner are mandatory. Not the name of the dog. But when the animal registration is enforced, the registration number should be written there, too.” Q: Should dogs wear electronic chips for tracking? A: That’s not necessary. (SITE NOTE: Initially they stated that the microchip was going to be required. On base pets are required to have the microchips. This would have made it interesting for all the "kaegogi" (dog meat dogs) cooped up for slaughter on farms... Read in the newspaper that the authorities in Seoul are going to force the microchip issue. Will wait to see how this turns out.) Q: Does the term “excrement” include urine? A: Though difficult to oversee in reality, urine is definitely included. (SITE NOTE: Last year had a big huff with the management about a dog pooping in front of our window. Well, it's started again -- but it's winter and the smell is not bad. However, in summer, this is a no-no. As to the "urine" requirement, this will be hard to do for any pet owner. Does this mean that the dog owner whose pet pees on the building corner needs to come with handiwipes and scrub it down? Don't even want to think about me scooping up dirt from Shelly doing her business. Also in Mar 2008, a damn dog -- most likely mid-sized judging from the poop size -- started doing it in the front of my house behind the bushes. Need to catch this mutt.) Q: Who is the overseer? A: Local governments are the overseers. To begin with, the system will more depend on reported cases rather than patrols when it comes to imposing fines. In developed countries where the law has been enforced, only a few cases of imposing fines have been reported. (SITE NOTE: Thus Pyeongtaek City will be the enforcer of this reg -- if it ever comes about. The problem will be the official "dog catchers" -- of which there are none. Instead, the law envisions "snitches" as the folks -- people who will file an official complaint. At Dongbu Apartment, this should give the anti-pet management the power it needs to terrify folks with pets. However, even with the CCTV trained on the area outside our window these folks did nothing last year -- and I can expect the same for the future.) Q: Are there any public parks where dogs need not be leashed? A: Dogs should be leashed at every public park. Even in the countryside outside of the cities, a dog needs a leash when going outdoors.” (SITE NOTE: This will cause problems in summer as Shelly runs free when we go out to the streams and reservoirs in the area. Being a local enforcement deal, it will have to be seen what the country areas do.) Q: Is there an age requirement for the person holding the leash? A: Age doesn’t matter. For a while, it was discussed whether to include a provision on age, but it was decided not to. Q: Should dogs wear muzzles outdoors as well? A: Fierce dogs as defined in the enforcement code and mixed breeds should wear muzzles. The dogs in question are fighting dogs, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, Rottweilers and their mixed breeds. The boundary of mixed breed has not been legally defined with clarity. These breeds do not need to be muzzled if they are less than three months old. Q: When does the animal registration decree take effect? A: Each local government will decide the enforcement schedule. Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and other regions are considering enforcing it from the second half of this year. (Source: Donga Ilbo.) EPILOGUE: As of May 2008, there is no enforcement in Songtan. Dogs still run free.  Sign for Dogs in Vancouver February 2008Solnal (Lunar New Year) a Bore!!! (6-8 Feb) As my daughter said, "I hate Solnal in Songtan." I have to agree. Songtan is a very boring town during Solnal as everything is closed. You can't do a darn thing. EVERY SHOP WAS CLOSED. Songtan is a boring place to start with -- and it gets that much more boring. Most folks head out to the ski slopes or visit their families, but we simply don't do much of anything on holidays. Besides, the finances were a little low to handle any mini-holidays.We were invited to go up to Inchon on the 6th of Feb to see my brother-in-law's house -- mainly to see the new floors they had installed -- stone slabs like in office buildings instead of the standard vinyl matting. Also got an invite to go up to Ilsan, a little above Seoul, by another relative. However, I just didn't want to go -- and neither did my daughter. Instead, we stuck around the house doing nothing because my internet was out -- it turned out to be a "bug" or something in the computer. Watched a few DVDs, but not any extraordinary movies in the batch. In complete boredom, we went to base at night to see a movie but we arrived too late (after 8). Not much of a loss as I had that movie (Golden Compass) on a DVD already. Instead, we went next door to Chili's restaurant to eat. My daughter had been there before, but I hadn't eaten there. My impression was ho-hum ... an expensive Taco Bell. The food was good, but not impressive. Finally my daughter and I went to the PC bang down the block because the internet at the house was out and stayed there until 6 am in the morning. On the 7th of Feb, the hanvit repairman came out and said the problem was in the computer -- and that I would have to partition the computer and start from scratch. I was NOT happy. Instead, I tried a lot of workarounds first. I lucked out and got a backup disk I made when I first got the computer to work and reloaded the operating system. In this way, all the other programs that were loaded did not have to be wiped out. This saved loads of time and frustration. Even with this time-saving action, it would take over two days to get the computer back to the way it was. On the 8th of Feb, Kiltong, my wife's brother, and Kilsana, my other brother-in-law and his family, came over. They brought the left-overs from the Solnal gathering on the 6th and we spent all day eating and watching TV. Even had pumpkin pie and ice cream. Suil, my nephew, spent his time tearing up the house -- and trying to hit Shelly with anything available -- and was surprised when Shelly growled at him. Again there isn't much to do as EVERYTHING in Songtan -- including Shinjang Mall -- was shut down. Finally Kiltong suggested going to a sauna (jim jil bang) in the evening. Kiltong said the sauna down in Anjung was cleaner than the big one just up the block near Switzen apartments. But I don't like to go to saunas simply because they are so boring. However, this was a "family event" so I was arm-twisted into going. The sauna in Anjung is a six-story building near the main intersection. The second floor of the building is a fitness club. The third floor is for women and the sixth floor is for men. The fourth and fifth floors comprise a large open family area. The fourth floor has the pebble heat rooms and open lounge area where people sleep on small mats. The fifth floor has the exercise machines, massage chairs, restaurant and book library. First you take a shower, rinse off and jump stark naked into a soaking pools of very hot water. Others take advantage of the free toothbrushes and razors to clean up before the soak. There were two Russians there -- probably from one of the poorer areas who work on the chicken or dairy farms in the local area -- who were the ones who wore their underwear into the baths. I have to admit it was a little fun at first with Suil, my nephew, in the hot water soak. He took my hand and shoved it into the hot water spout -- not scalding hot, but uncomfortable. I kept saying, "Atogo" (hot), but he kept doing it. So I took his hand and showed him how hot the water was. He yelped, and immediately took my hand and shoved it into the spout. This kid is smarter than I gave him credit for. He knew it was hot and he just wanted me to feel the pain. After that, you towel dry and change into your lounging shorts top provided by the sauna. If you want a large towel, you have to pay a 1000 won deposit. Then you go to the family area on the fourth and fifth floors to lounge around and relax. There are foam mats and block pillows to lay down and sleep on. As I said before, I think saunas are boring. This one was no different. First, the exercise machines and massage chairs are turned off after 10 pm because of the noise and that left only the (1) dry heat room where you lie in heated pebbles to sweat or (2) the PC room. My brother-in-law immediately disappeared into the room and I found him sprawled out on the floor amongst the granite pebbles absorbing the heat. Soon my wife joined him. I don't like the pebble heat, though the wife and brother-in-law do. To me, it's simply a painful way to sweat. Instead, I went to the PC room with my daughter and we messed around on the computers for a half-hour, but at 1000 won for 30 minutes, it got rather expensive. Then felt a little hungry. We had boiled eggs and tangerines that we brought in but we wanted something else. Boram and I had a "snack" but four chicken kabobs for 7,000 won was very steep. After that tried to read a novel I brought along, but the lights were too dim so I quit. This only left laying down and trying to get some sleep on a mat on the heated floor. Boram wandered off to read comic books from the collection on the fifth floor. It's surprising but there were a lot of older folks (35 age range) reading the comic books too -- not only the kids. But then Suil turned out to be a problem. He was like an energizer bunny constantly on the go. The kid would not go to sleep like normal kids and was on the move everywhere. Nobody could sleep. Everyone -- except me -- took turns chasing him around the building hoping he'd get tired. After 3 am, he was still going strong. Sleeping was done only in fits and starts as Suil would kick up a ruckus if you tried to get him to lay down. After about 4 am, Suil's dad took him into a dark room and finally got him to drop off to sleep after some howling -- but then other toddlers started bellowing to keep me awake. Dropped off to sleep for about an hour or so and woke up at 8 am. to discover that many of the people from the night before had left. Like everyone else in our group, I was dead tired. The visit was not only boring for me, but also tiring. Sleeping in fits is not my idea of a relaxing visit. When we left, I was startled to see that it had started to snow in Anjung. It was just starting to stick. Very pretty with everything covered in white. The highway outside of Anjung was snow-covered so traffic moved slowly, but about halfway to Songtan, there was no snow on the road. When we arrived in Songtan, there was no snow on the ground at all. Well, another holiday shot. When we got home, the wife immediately hit the sack -- like I did, but was woken up by some repairmen for a water leakage problem upstairs. Caught a few more zzz's, but still was tired from the night before. Just another boring holiday. Ho...hum... The following is a story on the saunas that ran on Osan AB in Feb 2008. Jim jil bang - A simple, easy way to relax  Chief Technology Officer -- a photo that needs a second look to catch the reality OPSEC and How It Impacts Me (Feb 2008) Lee Si-woo Photo Gallery and My Website (Feb 2008) Getting a little concerned with this OPSEC stuff after I complained to my daughter over the Solnal holidays that a Korean site Lee Si-woo Photo Gallery had taken my site enmasse and moved it onto his site. Not only I had noticed this, but a few of the contributors to my historical site as well. He had contributed some photos Shinjang Mall from 1993, but that didn't explain why he would copy all the photos and text from the site. Well, the moving of materials was actually only the Kunsan and Osan AB stuff (i.e., text: Osan AB: 1958) BUT all the Hawaii music and food recipes were left alone. Amongst my text, there appeared to be other notes of English writings on various topics that seemed unrelated to Korean history. I had asked him about this at his email siwoo@siwoo.pe.kr repeatedly, but received no reply. Anyway, my daughter found his site and found where he had posted some emails (in hangul) while he was in jail for divulging "secret weapons" information on the internet. In shock, I exclaimed, "WHAT THE F_ _ K???" This was unbelievable. He complained of how it was an injustice et al. She didn't translate all his emails posted, but I got the gist of the matter. He claimed that he had gathered materials and posted to the internet materials to "educate" the internet populace. What surprised me was that I didn't know incarcerations for the NSL was still going on in Korea. I thought that this was killed by the left-leaning Roh Moo-hyun administration and that all searches for "spies" had stopped. I had not heard of any such events in the media or internet -- though there has been lots of talk of espionage and such over the internet. Technically, any Korean who does the same thing Lee had done could be charged under the existing National Security Law (NSL). The NSL has been the target of the progressives, but was retained by the Supreme Court as legal. Despite President Roh Moo-hyun's efforts to undermine the NSL, it has remained. Though even I can see that parts of the NSL are antiquated and needs modifications, it is still needed as long as North Korea is saying it will turn Seoul into a "sea of fire." Roh's rapproachement efforts haven't changed that and the NSL remains in force -- though much weakened. No wonder Lee had not responded to my emails asking him why he had decided to download my site enmasse without asking? He was in jail. However, even after he got out of jail, he continued to not answer any email to siwoo@siwoo.pe.kr. What was even more bothersome was whether he had used any of my materials to build up his "education" case. Undoubtedly there is a lot of the nuclear issue in Korea, but the last nukes were removed in 1992 so the US hands are clean. My site has a lot of the current weapons systems in use in Korea but the information could be garnered the same place I got it -- on the internet. Thus my site has materials from OPEN sources so I don't feel I have endangered anything dealing with OPSEC. However, I can see that people might say that IF a terrorist was illiterate in computer technology and IF he didn't know how to do a simple "google search", my site might be considered a treasure trove of information. However, this terrorist would be somebody you wouldn't want to trust with a water pistol. USFK OPSEC: Behind a Firewall and Information Releases (Feb 2008) The USFK has taken OPSEC in Korea one step further and pulled everything behind a firewall. As a result, getting info on the USFK over the internet is now very difficult. For example, I made up an USFK Organizational Chart to try to help people understand the changes that were going on in the USFK. I originally had constructed it in 2003 and I updated it in 2007 after letting it lay fallow for four years. It was a nightmare to piece together as the changes were coming fast and heavy in 2007 -- but then suddenly it was NOTHING when the firewall went up. It was as though there was a news blackout. As a result, in 2008, I posted a notice that the Organizational Chart was not being updated simply because I couldn't get any info -- and it was just too much trouble to update. As a result, I simply lost interest in it. As it stands, the major changes have been done with the USFK reshaping itself and slower moves to Camp Humphreys are underway as new barracks are built and units relocate. Most of the units that were to be moved out of country are gone -- and the high profile, secret ones due to high-level policy changes have been quietly relocated. The highly sensitive "special ops" units tasked with Oplan 5029 operations inside North Korea in case of hostilities have been silently moved from Korea leaving the closest Special Ops unit in Kadena. But what's really going on in the USFK dealing with pending relocations of units is now a mystery. Unless the USFK spokesman makes a statement, news on the internet is blank. However, actually things are pretty calm. Things are sitting in limbo until the latest round of the Oct 2008 SCM is resolved with major issues of air training for USAF pilots in-country (supposedly settled, but still rumblings of dissent with USAF elements); cost-sharing and relocation costs issues (still in limbo); 4CSI issues (still in limbo); ROK WRSA ammunition procurement (still in limbo); FMS sales to ROK (upgraded, but still in limbo); and a multitude of other items. However, the biggest thing that needs to be hammered out is the ultimate definition of what SUPPORT means in the USFK-ROK military relationship as the US moves to a support role after 2012. OPSEC is alive and well in the USFK -- though it is a real pain if you operate a historical website. I'm naturally nosy, but with the USFK behind a firewall, there is simply nothing to sniff. The filtered information of the Stars and Stripes articles leave a lot to wish for. The bottomline is that the USFK firewall on information of what happening within the military in Korea is very effective. Five years ago there was a lot of interesting information flowing on the internet -- not about the mission or technical stuff, but what was going on in hanky-panky departments on the bases and off-base. However, the USFK has closed down the various Yahoo newsgroups and forums -- sometimes through outright intimidation -- so that no one printed anything there because of fear that the OSI/CID was monitoring it -- and they would be right. But remember the overall picture. Defense against hackers makes the firewall essential. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security earned failing marks in an annual computer security report card released in Feb 2006 by a congressional oversight committee. That meant the federal agency tasked with principal responsibility for the nation's cybersecurity had received a grade of "F" from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform for three straight years. But it wasn't alone. Of the 24 departments on the scorecard, seven others, including Energy, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, State, and Defense, also received failing marks for 2005. The overall grade across all government agencies was D+, unchanged from 2005. Starting at the highest level of the Department of Defense, the grade was a "D" in 2004 that fell to an "F" in 2005. This started the shakeup to get all the military behind a firewall -- and fast. The DoD was under attack -- and in 2007, hackers got to an unclassified DoD site that Defense Secretary Gates used. Thus the justification for the USFK in sealing itself off from the outside is very correct. The last bastion was the blogs that dealt with the bases/camps amongst the topics discussed. However, it soon became apparent in 2007 that military topics were "untouchable" areas -- and most contractors and military careerists who visited the site were quick to figure out that their jobs may depend on them not compromising OPSEC. The blogs became totally boring with most military topics simply off-limits for discussion. The ROK Drop still is on-line, but the Lost Nomad bowed out in Jan 2008. Now military news on the USFK is found out through the local media -- usually about two-three days before the article appears in the Stars and Stripes. Yep, the USFK firewall on info works great... Air Force Together We Served (AFTWS) Website and USAF OPSEC Threat Misinformation I signed up for the Air Force Together We Served (AFTWS) website on 13 Feb upon the urging of a cousin, retired USN E-6 (PO-1) Jon Yim. But it seems this OPSEC hysteria has gotten into everything. On the site, there was a forum section that talks about the USAF chain of command circulating a Powerpoint presentation that claimed the AFTWS site is an OPSEC threat by Mark D. Hedden, Major, 1SOW/IO. The problem was that the presentation was in error and despite a "clarification" (retraction) from the issuer of the presentation, misinformation of the AFTWS as an OPSEC risk has continued to spread. The misinformation involved the accusation that the AFTWS site as a FOREIGN-owned entity (German) with FOREIGN-located servers (Canada). In fact, the AFTWS is California-based corporation with servers in Los Angeles. The following "Important Notice" was taken from the Together We Served site that publishes a "clarification" by the author of the offending Powerpoint presentation. Unfortunately, the offending presentation continues to be spread through official USAF computers. IMPORTANT NOTICEBut the problem is that the Powerpoint presentation calling the AFTWS an OPSEC risk is spreading by "word of mouth" from leaders within the USAF community. The premise of Maj Hedden (the originator of the presentation) was that the AFTWS members would spill sensitive information on site controlled by a FOREIGN entity with FOREIGN servers. As such, the AFTWS site should be shunned by all military members. Unfortunately, this information was totally erroneous. Though "clarified" (retracted), the presentation continues to be rebroadcast. The problem is that USAF leaders are doing what everyday people on the internet do such as forwarding jokes, etc. to everyone in their address book. USAF leaders are spreading erroneous information about AFTWS to ALL commands. Though erroneous urban legend emails can be debunked using the Snopes site, who debunks erroneous OFFICIAL documents received on OFFICIAL USE ONLY computers? The key point is that OPSEC works both ways. OPSEC protects sensitive information -- but it also must prevent misinformation. The USAF leaders involved in spreading this erroneous presentation seem to be creating a greater problem in using OFFICIAL USAF computers to spread misinformation. Once USAF leaders use computers designated for "official use only," the USAF itself becomes liable to being sued for libel ... though it probably won't happen. The military is supposed to be the protector of Freedom of Speech for everyone -- but in this case it is a supporter of stiffling free speech on a CIVILIAN site. I have always been proud to say that "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll die for your right to say it." Retired and prior-service people are NOT active duty and under the direct control of the military when it comes to OPSEC -- unless they signed non-disclosure statements on classified information. The AFTWS site is no different from the tons of other organizational sites I've visited in the past -- Classmates.com plus loads of military-oriented websites and organizational websites. These sites are simply places where veterans or active duty people can gather on the internet to share common experiences to show the pride in the services, commands, units, or equipment which they were/are associated with. That the AFTWS site is NOT a military site and has a statement that it is not associated in any way with the DoD. That the USAF leaders are spreading an erroneous message to attack a CIVILIAN based website makes this very distasteful. This whole problem gets awful close to Freedom of Speech issues. Though I agree that sensitive information should not be discussed on the internet -- or on unsecure computers -- the whole point is that the OPSEC control is dependent upon the individual restraint -- NOT the website moderation. What the USAF has mistakenly done is attempt to embroil a CIVILIAN website in MILITARY OPSEC concerns. Major Hedden mistakenly crossed the line when he released his original presentation (regardless that it contained erroneous information) -- and the USAF leadership continues cross the line by attacking a CIVILIAN website that has no affiliation with the DoD. If you feel that the USAF is justified to involve itself with CIVILIAN websites in the name of OPSEC, then you had best get out the hatchet to ban Classmates.com and any military organizational website that promotes the gathering of military personnel into one organization based upon their common shared interests. I operate the historical website for the 8th Attack Squadron Association (as an honorary member). The organization that includes veterans from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam era, Desert Storm and present day members of the lineal descendants of the 8th Aero Squadron dating back to WWI. Thus I find the message the USAF leaders are circulating about the AFTWS as personally distasteful. The special powers under the Patriot Act was given to the President -- and not delegated down the line to USAF leaders. I truely feel they crossed the line on the Freedom of Speech issue when they stupidly embroiled a CIVILIAN based website on an OPSEC issue. The following item is from Donnie Taylor (9 Feb 2008) on the AFTWS site shows that the misinformation is being spread by USAF leaders -- with the example being the 6th Medical Group at MacDill AFB. We too are taken aback by how the viral sending of mis-information can cause considerable impact and we are now aware that Major Hedden's OPSEC Powerpoint is now being disseminated by commands throughout the Air Force in its original erroneous form in spite of being retracted/clarified not once, but twice. For example the following e-mail copy was forwarded to us yesterday and may be just one of many similar communications: (TWS, by the way, is a California corporation and our servers are located in downtown Los Angeles. In addition, all non Government military related websites are required by law to display a disclaimer citing non-endorsement by the DOD)(SITE NOTE: My cousin Jon Yim, a retired USN journalist, wrote a nice open letter to all USAF Public Affairs Offices in mid-March that was posted to the AFTWS homepage. It laid out how the USAF started a lie -- propagated it -- and continued to send it out despite PROOF to the contrary. The point is that there is something sadly wrong with the military system where its own self-generated FALSE propaganda can be spread so easily -- and sadly because it is from official sources, accepted as fact by gullible USAF personnel. The incident is secondary -- that USAF personnel can be duped so easily by their own sources makes it a sad statement of how USAF personnel seem to have been turned into automatons -- the non-thinking variety -- who accepts things blindly. This is the danger to freedom of the press -- the questioning public who ceases to question. Then you simply have a flock of sheep just waiting to led to the slaughter. It's sad.) But this problem of misreporting of OPSEC violations also happens in-house in the USAF. An F-22 unit commander and pilot at Elmendorf, Alaska was the subject of a recent operations security (OPSEC) briefing, compiled by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) detachment at Davis-Montham AFB -- a base that has nothing to do with the F-22. The AFOSI presentation suggested that the pilot divulged operational and technical details of the fifth-generation fighter, through his comments on a popular internet aviation forum. In fact, virtually all of the information discussed by the pilot was already in the public domain. What is even stranger was the presentation was made AFTER an OPSEC study by Air Combat Command (ACC) and a security review by an Air Force acquisitions directorate determined that the pilot's on-line comments did not divulge classified information. Despite this fact, the presentation with its erroneous accusation was presented in Feb 2008 to the base threat working group -- and then disseminated USAF-wide with its erroneous accusations. In reality, the F-22 pilot had been encouraged by Air Force leadership to discuss the F-22, and served as one the program’s most visible representatives. Before taking command of the Alaska unit, the pilot served as the Air Force’s first F-22 demonstration pilot, showcasing the jet at air shows around the country. He also appeared—with the service’s blessing--in several television documentaries on the jet. The damage to the pilot's professional reputation -- and his credibility in future documentaries -- has been besmirched unjustly. (Source: In From the Cold.) USAF Cutting Out Blogs from Official Use Computers (Mar 2008) Currently the military blogs dealing with Korea are BORING as any wise contractor and military careerist learned that they had better shut their mouths on any commentary about the military. In 2007 military topics on Korea military blogs were "untouchable" areas -- and most contractors and military careerists who visited the sites were quick to figure out that their jobs may depend on them not compromising OPSEC. The blogs became totally boring with most military topics simply off-limits for discussion. The ROK Drop still is on-line, but the Lost Nomad bowed out in Jan 2008. Now military news on the USFK is found out through the local media -- usually about two-three days before the article appears in the Stars and Stripes. I don't have any problem with that as it is what the idea of OPSEC and the military being a self-policing issue. This is the way it should be -- if you think you might compromise something, shut up. BUT A LARGER PROBLEM HAS APPEARED THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE A CONCERTED EFFORT BY THE MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT TO GAG ITS SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMEN UNDER THE SPECTER OF OPSEC. THIS GOES BEYOND SELF-POLICING AND ENTERS INTO CENSORSHIP. The Pentagon has been concerned for years about blogs, though early on officials worried about what troops might write in them as opposed to reading them. After initially telling Soldiers to let their commanders know they were writing blogs and cautioning the troops about revealing information, the Army last year began requiring troops to have their material reviewed for security concerns prior to publishing. Then the USAF came up with the idea to make censorship an issue and block the READING of "unsuitable" blogs. According to Military.com, "Nearly three years after the Army took notice of Soldier blogs and began insisting the writers register with their chain of command, the Air Force is going in a different direction altogether: restricting which blogs its airmen may read. But while the Army -- which now has regs requiring security reviews of blogs before publishing -- acted to keep sensitive information from getting out, the Air Force's move appears driven by a desire to choose which news sources are legitimate. According to the magazine, the Air Force maintains that blogs are not legitimate media outlets and so shouldn't be available to Airmen at work." The Air Force is tightening restrictions on which blogs its troops can read, cutting off access to just about any independent site with the word "blog" in its web address. It's the latest move in a larger struggle within the military over the value -- and hazards -- of the sites. At least one senior Air Force official calls the squeeze so "utterly stupid, it makes me want to scream." Until recently, each major command of the Air Force had some control over what sites their troops could visit, the Air Force Times reports. Then the Air Force Network Operations Center, under the service's new "Cyber Command," took over. (Source: Blog.wired.com.)AFNOC has imposed bans on all sites with "blog" in their URLs, thus cutting off any sites hosted by Blogspot. Other blogs, and sites in general, are blocked based on content reviews performed at the base, command and AFNOC level ......But blogs and social networking sites have faced all sorts of restrictions on military networks, for all sorts of reasons. MySpace and YouTube are officially banned, for eating up too much bandwidth. Stringent regulations, read literally, require Army officers to review each and every item one of his soldiers puts online, in case they leak secrets. And in televised commercials, screensavers and fliers, troops are told that blogging is a major security risk -- even though official sites have proven to leak many, many more secrets. Now there's the Air Force's argument, that blogs aren't legitimate media outlets -- and therefore, shouldn't be read at work.  Found this on a blog. Thought it was so cute, that I stole it. This is how I feel most of the time. Valentine's Day (14 Feb 2008) I had forgotten all about Valentine's Day (14 Feb) -- as taken over from the Japanese women who give chocolates to their bosses. South Korea celebrates Valentine's Day, where local custom dictates women give gifts to men. In class one of my little students (a boy) gave me a Snicker's bar -- and I thought he was just being nice for all the candy that I give him. One of my other students (a boy) gave me a lollipop and still the light didn't come one. When I got home, there was a box of Gullyam (?) chocolates in the shape of seashells and a box of Witor's Nocciola (?) packed in a box in the shape of a heart. Still the light didn't go on. I figured my daughter forgot the chocolates next to the computer and I picked it up and put it in her bedroom. It only dawned on me after my daughter said the chocolates were for me. Happy Valentine's Day!!! Duh... Felt very stupid because of all the years of getting chocolates, this year simply slipped my mind. Also in the past I usually had a lot of girl students who would make a big deal of this to jog my memory. Now I gotta remember when the boys have to give chocolates to the girls... When is that??? This is White Day (14 Mar) that has taken on being a popular event that was born in Japan but swept Asia. On White Day on March 14 men return the favor with gifts for women. I fudged by buying chocolate Easter bunny rabbits to substitute. But now there is Black Day on April 14 to look forward to. It is a South Korean original. It is for those who don't have a love of their life -- and they get to eat a bowl of jajang-myeon (noodles covered with soybean sauce). It's kind of a sad statement of life in Korea. It is marked by people who have not found love dressing in dark colors and commiserating over meals of black food, with the dish of choice being Chinese-style noodles topped with a thick sauce of black bean paste. South Korea marketers have hatched special days for the 14th of each month to create a calendar laden with love. Some days have gained traction such as Black Day, while others such as Green Day in August, when couples are supposed to drink cheap liquor that comes in green bottles (soju) and walk in the woods, have yet to attract much of a following. My Health (Feb 2008) Basically, I still have to watch my diet and foodj but all in all, I'm doing ok ... but not great. However, I still have not taken that major step of getting exercise regularly. It's still too damn cold. When I walk the long route to the bank or farmer's market in cold weather, the back of my legs start to cramp up from the cold. It's like getting a charley horse with every step. However, on the whole, I am doing more walking than I previously did as I consciously try to find the longer routes to walk if I have errands to do. As the weather warms, have started walking longer walks to and from anywhere. I still have the numbness in my left pinkie and ring finger (pre-operation condition) -- and the right thumb associated with the operation. It's not bad, but because of my "thin blood" my hands get frozen real easy -- numb -- when I go outside in freezing temperatures. Started putting hand lotion on my feet and hands in cold weather to prevent cracks in the skin which take a long time to heal. My blood pressure which was "borderline high blood pressure" (above 130) is now well within normal range (120 systolic /70 diastolic range) -- and my pulse which used to be in the 90s (too high) -- is now in the mid-70s which is good. These were brought down by medications. However, I have to watch out for bleeding from small cuts because of the blood thinner/anti-coagulant medicines. One night a small scab from a scratch on my arm was nicked off unnoticed and in the morning, my arm was smeared with dried blood and the sheets had stains all over them. It was just that the blood from the tiny scratch didn't clot because of the medications. My blood looks like red water when I take my blood glucose checks. A humorous incident was when I was roughhousing with Shelly. She runs off a distance and then charges directly at you. Well she did this as I was bending over and she jumped in my lap at full tilt. What I got was a head-butt by Shelly in the nose. Yep, nose bleed. Tissue in the nose took hours to stop the bleeding as the anti-coagulant medication makes it hard to stop bleeding. As to Shelly, she has a harder head than my nose and simply started to tear into her toss toys when I stopped playing with her. As to the diet, I have started eating a lot of vegetables -- especially lettuce salads which I like a lot -- and my blood glucose levels are down to "livable" ranges (120 mg/dLrange). (Danger is when you're above the 200 mg/DL range.) In the afternoons, I found that a can of soup -- the $1.25 cheap varieties -- is good without any major digestive problems. Now eating more whole grain breads. Otherwise, I'm still eating the same peasant fare that I have always done. The massive amounts of gas caused by intake of complex carbohydrates reaction to my medications has been reduced by my eating foods that don't cause this reaction. I found that drinking coffee (pre-mix) did not raise my blood glucose levels significantly as long as I don't over do it -- however, my drinking black coffee now really upsets my stomach. For a person who lived on black coffee all day long all his life, this came as a big change. Stopped buying low-sodium foods (i.e., bacon) because I noticed that there really wasn't that much difference in sodium content -- just the price. Still buy low-sodium shoyu, but that's about it. My biggest problem is that if I don't take my meds immediately after eating -- I forget them. I'm supposed to take them 30 minutes after eating. Taking 15 pills a day is really a pain -- mostly because of my messed up schedule. So after the major scare of 8 Oct 2008, all is progressing well. Doctors appointments are now scheduled for every two months to refill the prescriptions and I have to check my blood sugar only twice a week (before and after meals). Doctor Checkup (22 Feb 2008) Went to see the doctor on 22 Feb for my two month checkup. The exercise after dinner came up. He wants me to walk for 20 minutes after dinner because my after dinner blood glucose checks are high. My morning (8-hour fast) period blood glucose checks are good. Also my pulse and blood pressure problems are well under control. HOWEVER, SURPRISE!!! It has been six months and it seems that the doctor wants me scheduled for a angioplasty checkup. Routine procedure but I have to enter the hospital for two days. Wish he had told me about this sooner because this becomes a scheduling nightmare. The hospital stated that it will be in May and that I would have to check back in April to schedule.
RESULTS: Things look good and I will not need to do this again...unless I start having chest pains. The stents that were placed in the arteries have remained in place and things looked good. Told not to remove bandage on wrist where they cut into artery for 24 hours. Went back to the room and checked with the doctor to see if I could go home. He said ok at 4 pm and stayed in the room until 7pm when the saline drips were about half-empty. Checked out and went home by bus. The cost of the entire procedure was about $260 -- after insurance. Not bad considering it included the cost for one month's medications. The medications are something the doc said I will be on for the "rest of my life." He also stated I MUST start walking after dinner -- but as I get back at 10:30 pm, my dinner is very late. He said my blood sugar was too high (in the 220 range after two hours) from some readings because of the foods consumed -- even though I brought them down later (back in the 120 range). Will work something out. Don't know on this one. The only warning from this operation was not to use my right hand at all for 24 hours. This entry is my violating this warning...but overall, I've kept from lifting with it and this is only for 15 minutes of typing.  Picture I found on the internet that seems more like a painting than a photo. Have a print by Linnea Pergola "Hills of San Francisco" on the wall that seems very much like this photo. I'd love to visit this place...but I sure wouldn't want to live there having to climb that hill. I'm sure the colors have been enhanced with Photoshop, but still what a pretty picture! March 2008Summer Reading List: (Apr-May 2008) If you're wondering about my reading tastes, I still remember my cousin with a PhD in British Lit saying to me how my tastes were "so esoteric" -- which I never knew whether to take it as a compliment -- or one of her famous verbal jabs to the ribs. In other words, I will read anything from serious history books to trash pulp.For winter reading, I read a few books picked up at the Osan Thrift Shop or the bargain books at the BX, but none of them really excited me. Read some old Mario Puzo novels, The Fourth K and Omerta, and yawned as I found it hard to get to the end of them. I can't believe that when I read Puzo's The Godfather novel a long time ago in the 1970s, I was transfixed by the storyline. Guess times change reading tastes. (YAWN...) Got a few coffee-table books that I passed to my daughter -- because they have big pictures and very little reading -- that don't count.
April 2008Bad News for Me: Deisel Prices to Go UP... (Apr 2008) According to the Chosun Ilbo, "diesel could soon sell at higher prices than gasoline. Currently, the prices of diesel are 92-93 percent of gasoline prices. But now prices of gasoline are stable at the international oil market in Singapore, the main base for crude oil dealings in Korea, but the prices of diesel are soaring. At some gas stations in the capital area, diesel already costs more than gasoline. As of December last year, gasoline vehicles made up 49.2 percent of all 16.42 million registered cars. Diesel cars accounted for 37.1 percent. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation, international diesel prices surged from W735.4 per litter in the first week of March to W852 in the third week of that month. During the same period, international gasoline prices went up only W36.40, from W652.30 to W688.70.""In Korea, taxes on diesel are only 71 percent of those on gasoline. Thus pre-tax prices for diesel are higher than those for gasoline, but diesel is cheaper after taxes. However, domestic diesel prices will likely be similar to those of gasoline by the second or third week of April, when the international diesel prices of March’s third week are reflected on the Korean market." Right now a full tank of deisel used to cost me around 70,000 won, but I noticed that it climbed to around in Mar to 80,000 won for a full tank. With the limited driving I do, the tank will last me over a month. I like the deisel because it is a lot cheaper than a gas guzzler that ran me $125 a month or more on base. However, now it seems to be evening out. Filled the junker up on 5 Apr and the cost was 80,000 won...with about 10,000 won of deisel still in the tank. So...yes, the prices went up. Things get worse: Deisel Costs more than Gas (May 2008) A day dreaded by many Korean motorists has finally arrived. When pulling in to fuel up, they find diesel prices have passed those of gasoline. GS Caltex Corporation, Korea's second-largest refiner, began charging 1,812 won ($1.74) per liter of diesel and 1,778 won per liter of gasoline, as of 20 May. The main cause behind rising prices is a worldwide supply deficit. Rapidly developing countries, including China and India, inflate demand because diesel is widely used for industrial purposes. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation, prices of diesel per barrel jumped 51 percent to $163 last week from $108 per barrel in January. Meanwhile, crude oil prices per barrel advanced 31 percent to $130 last week from $99 earlier this year. With mounting complaints over leaping diesel prices, the central government is looking for solutions. It lowered oil taxes by up to 10 percent in March, but industry analysts said this did not ease the public burden from hefty oil prices. In addition, the government said it cannot do anything about diesel prices because they are based on crude oil prices. Gas stations say they are also victims of skyrocketing oil prices. "It is hard for us to increase oil prices because competition is very tough among gas stations and consumers oppose price increases," said Jung Sang-pil, manager of the Korea Oil Station Association. S-Oil Corporation, the country's third-largest refiner, has added 10 won per liter, raising diesel costs to 1,740 won, which is higher than gasoline. SK Energy, Korea's top oil refiner, plans to increase prices between 10 won and 30 won per one liter of diesel from today. (Source: Joongang Ilbo.) Things get worse: Gasoline Tops W2,000 Per Liter; Electricity rates to go up (May 2008) As international oil prices continue to soar, the price of regular unleaded gasoline at gas stations in downtown Seoul has exceeded W2,000 per liter (US$1=W1,044). Electricity prices, which have been frozen to stabilize overall prices, are also expected to rise in the second half of this year. According to Opinet (www.opinet.co.kr), the Korea National Oil Corporation's gas station information blog, seven gas stations in Seoul's Gangnam District were selling gasoline at a retail price of over W2,000 per liter on Thursday. The average price of regular gasoline at all gas stations in Gangnam was W1,957 per liter, up W30 from just two days before. The KNOC said there's worse to come, as domestic gasoline prices move about two or three weeks after international prices are decided. That means that regular-grade gasoline will soon cost W2,000 per liter in many more areas. The average price of diesel at gas stations in Gangnam was W1,923 per liter on Thursday, up W51 from W1,872 on 20 May. Meanwhile, electricity prices are expected to rise in the second half of the year on the back of persistent increases in oil prices. In a press conference Thursday, Vice Knowledge Economy Minister Lee Jae-hoon said electricity prices would inevitably go up. "Increasing them next year will be too late, so we will definitely have to increase them this year." A ministry official said that there were factors meriting a 7.6 percent increase in electricity prices last year, and for another 5.5 percent increase in the first half of this year. If all the increase factors are reflected, it's possible that the increase rate may be in the double digits. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: Someone dropped a note -- Don't know what the Americans are concerned about !! The costs in England at the moment per US gallon are as follows; Gas $9.09 per gallon Diesel $10.03 per gallon. I guess it could be worse.) An Old Student Comes to Songtan (1 Apr 2008) In April, I had a surprise when an old student of mine, "Monica" Kim (Kim Mokyong) visited my home. Years ago I taught both Monica and her children at my English hagwon in Kunsan. Her son, "Mike", is now a student in high school in the US in Appalachia -- where according to Mike, "everyday is a camping trip." Her other son "Willy" is in Middle School in Chonju and will be heading to the US next year. Anyway, the big surprise was that Monica said she was starting a business on Shinjang Mall, A & B's Men's Wear. It was rather surprising that Monica would be switching from an art design teacher to a shop owner, but in another way, I wasn't surprised at all. When I was teaching her years ago, she was part of a "housewive's group" whose aim was improving their English skills to benefit their children. I also taught the children of these housewives English in their early years. Later on most of the kids of these housewives ended up in American schools -- except for Johnny Son who is in Beijing University and Emmy Son who returned from China to study at Gunsan Girl's High School. But all of these women were highly educated and I could see that somewhere down the line-- after their kids were ready to go out on their own -- they would try to use their fluency in the English language to do something for their own satisfaction. Thus Monica's new venture into the clothing business is no surprise to me. It combines her esthetic tastes -- as an art design teacher -- along with her English language skills.  Kim Hyo-bum, Monica Kim (Kim Mokyung), Jane (Apr 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) A & B Men's Wear opened in the first week of April. The shop is located very near to the front gate on the main mall -- about four shops down on the right as you enter the Mall. It's in a tiny space, but as it's just a starting business, it's normal. If business improves, they can move to a better location -- but being on the main Mall is a big plus. Despite its small space, in its first days, it seemed to be doing a thriving business from both Americans and Koreans. The shop specializes in Ed Hardy designer jeans and T-shirts -- in the punk-rock tradition. The target market is the 20s-30s market -- which is the main clientelle for the Mall. The prices of the jeans and T-shirts are very competitive when compared to the other shops on the mall. I asked Monica why did she choose Songtan Mall as a location instead of the Kunsan or Chonju area -- as her home is in Chonju. The choice she said was from her co-partner who runs the procurement end of the operations. Much of the stock will be imported from China and the promise of volume sales to Americans at Songtan made it a good location. At the shop, she has a young Filipina, Jane, who helps with the sales with Americans. On the weekend I stopped by, she was doing a brisk business so it is a good sign for the future.   (L) Monica Kim in A&B Men's Wear (R) A&B Men's Wear (Apr 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) My only problem was that I wanted to buy her potted flowers for opening (in the Korean tradition), but it is too small a shop with no place to put the flowers ... and my buying a pair of jeans is out of the question. The jeans are "too young" for an old fuddy-duddy like me to buy. Thus we took her out for dinner at Casa Bella's in Aragon Alley instead -- and had "gyros" (lamb in pita bread) though I used to call them "koos-koos" (Saudi Arabian). I wish her the best of luck in her operations.  Squirrel at computer -- See the resemblence??? (Fun Hub) Update of Old Businesses Page Finished (24 Apr 2008) Took me two weekends to update the "Life Goes on at Shinjang Mall" page of old merchants on the mall and add a lot of other old-time merchants as well. This time around, I've added the second-generation. For example, the Lim Family started at the Yongchan Arcade (now gone) that stood where the Stereo Club is now. The mother and family came down from Inchon and started a shirt-making business there in the 1971. That became the Lim's Custom Tailor. There were four brothers and the eldest went to the states. #2 brother operates Lim's Ladies Clothes, while #3 son operates OLDI Classic Shop Shop -- and #4 son operates the Lim's Custom Tailor. Found out there were many more of these family businesses as I stopped by shops asking questions. When I first did the page, I didn't think about the second-generation. I did a writeup about the Nolbo Chip Restaurant back in 2006, and now next door is a Mandoo shop that belongs to the daughter of the Nolbo Restaurant owner. The same goes for the Boston Shoe store who opened in 2002, but it actually dates back to the 1960s from his father. The Bo-suk Dang Jewelry is another example where the father started the business in 1957, but now it is run by his son. Another son split off in 2006 and formed GQ Jewelry a few shops down. Found a barbershop that I'd been searching for since 2006. It is a shop that has been in operation for 40 years with the same owner. Interestingly, many thought I was trying to charge them money for advertising their shops. Took some convincing and for some shops, I just said the hell with them even though they were long time shop owners because of the bad vibes I got when I asked questions. Their loss... The Oxford Leather owner started his business in the 1960s, but I simply eliminated his shop after he started giving me a runaround. Also found a few shops that were no longer there so I added the shop that was presently there. Added a few more shops, including a few like my ex-student Monica's shop which didn't fit the criteria -- but it's my website. Also added the Royal Gallery which also didn't meet the criteria, but there were no art shops represented on the page so I added an old article I wrote about the art shops on the Mall. Anyway, it is now done and it'll be another three years -- if I'm still here in Songtan -- when I update the page again. EPILOGUE (May 2008) Just when I said I was done, I remembered that there were other places I needed to add like the Pacific Hotel (though started recently) but it houses the VFW which has been on the Mall for over thirty years. There are also a few more places that have 1960s buildings -- I can tell by the roofs and by peeking behind the false fronts -- that still need to be checked out. The page is not finished -- but rather mostly done. The latest addition is the Daeho hotel which used to be the Daeho Yeogwan up near the rail spur back in the 1960s. The owner, a Mr. Lim, moved the hotel to its present location and sold it to its present owner a Mr. Kwang in 1991. Picking Weeds for Kimchi (Apr 2008) On 27 Apr it was a nice spring day and I was just lounging around reading a book as it was Sunday. Suddenly the wife and the neighbor from the 4th floor have a brilliant idea. The wife knows a place on base that they have some "weeds" that the Koreans use to make a type of local kimchi. It's called "ttol-mi-nari" and is supposed to be a healthy dish. The neighbor's husband is from Songtan and taught his wife how to make "ttol-mi-nari" kimchee -- which is served in many local restaurants. The wife found out about this spot while escorting contract workers last year. Not many folks must know about the spot because there is a mess of the stuff along the bank of the ditch. (NOTE: I won't tell the spot because if so the local Korean housewives on base will pluck the place dry.) Anyway went down there and they said they would only be ten minutes or so. Just in and out. WRONG... once they got to digging up the stuff, the women kept on. GIs walking by to work gave a strange eye at these Korean women digging up "weeds" -- but just kept on walking by. Shelly and I just had to sit and wait. Surprisingly, while out there, my sister-in-law called my wife and said she wanted to get some too. She doesn't eat it in a kimchee mix, but simply alone as a health food with water. My wife was also digging up another type of "weed" for a different type of kimchee, but it wasn't so plentiful. Because there was so much, my neighbor just didn't want to quit and kept on going. It was getting late and that was the only reason we finally left. As soon as they got home, they started cleaning the haul -- in preparation to making some kimchee. Happy as a lark, our neighbor went home with her bags of "weeds."   (L) The women digging up the "weeds" (R) The "weed" -- ttol-mi-nari (27 Apr 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Went down to the 5,000 won all-you-can-eat buffet in the marketplace for dinner about 7 pm and when we came back, our neighbor had already made a batch of the ttol-mi-nari kimchee. Not bad tasting -- if you like kimchee. Immediately, the wife took some of it to share with another friend in an adjoining apartment building and the next thing I hear is that she wants to go down there the next time and get some too. I think this has just turned into a nightmare. EPILOGUE (May 2008): The neighbor "had to" go down there in May two more times until she had picked that place clean. Actually what happened was the grounds crew came in with the weed whackers and chopped all the "weeds" down. The first haul in May she brought home and boiled. Then her daughters came down from Seoul and the first thing they did was divide it in half -- and then both took everything home with them. Bah...mothers are all the same. Next time, she and the wife took that stuff and had it ground up and mixed with rice flour. Then steamed it into rice mochi cakes. I'm not a great lover of the stuff, but it tasted ok. However, it sure is a lot cheaper and less time consuming to simply buy it in the store. However, sitting down there waiting for them made the car stand out. The third time, a mini-car (civilian) stopped and had to back up behind my parked car to take down my license number, I suppose. We were NOT in any secure area. What made me irritated was that he didn't even bother asking what we were doing -- and the Security Police and pedestrians passed by us all the time. If you want to play like a security cop, act like one. Geez, all in the name of security...good on them. EPILOGUE (Sep 2008) The neighbor grandma and the wife went to base at the end of September and raided the grounds just behind the gas station. There are ginko trees (eunhaeng) there and all the "fruit seeds" are dropping to the ground making it easy pickings for anyone who wants it. To the ROKAF, this is just garbage -- but to the two scavengers, it was like finding a treasure trove. However, the bad thing about it is the smell. The ripe seeds smell like someone pooped in their pants. The two women picked up two bags each and hauled them back home. Of course, the neighbor brought home the biggest amount. Humorously, when they were exiting the gate, the Security Police were trying to really hussle them out as the ginko seeds really smelled bad. When they seeds are dried, they don't smell, but until then, they are out on the veranda of the wife's room. PHEW!!! The wife says that eating ten of the seeds each day helps with chronic coughs...but I'll pass. The bottomline though is that Ginko nuts sell for about 50,000-60,000 won ($42-52) per kilogram on the streets. Thus the haul that they got was somewhere in the neighborhood of a $100 worth of Ginko nuts. BTW it's illegal to shake them out of the trees, but you can pick them up off the ground anywhere without complaint. May 2008Buddha's Birthday (12 May 2008) Holiday and nothing to do. Hopped on the bike to get some exercise. Bicycled over to the small temple over the hill. People were still coming from the temple -- as is the custom of having a meal there. The temple is a typical one of no particular notoriety -- just your simple neighborhood Buddhist temple. All along the path leading up to it were the paper lanterns associated with the holiday. The temple itself was decorated with lanterns of a unique two-headed chicken design along the bottom and paper lanterns along the top. In the front was the white elephant associated with Buddha's birth and the other objects carried in the Parade of Lanterns at night. Temple at Ojwa-dong (12 May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   Decorations of the temple (12 May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   White Elephant and other objects for Lantern Parade (12 May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   Lantern on temple (12 May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Sign along the street when just entering Songtan. What I find significant is that it is written at the bottom in English. Maybe I am overly sensitive, but the impression I got was that Americans are dirty folks who dump trash and needed a sign in English to remind them that it was against the law to dump their trash. The second impression I got was that the Pyeongtaek Mayor -- he had to include his telephone number -- was asserting himself as the power in the area. There has been a drive for years to erase Songtan's identity. Songtan was once a city (Songtan-shi) that was larger than Pyeongtaek -- until by order of the government, Songtan was absorbed into Pyeongtaek. Yes, the Pyeongtaek City Hall Branch in Songtan actually used to be the Songtan City Hall. It's like the Super Pyeongtaek logos that are on the sidewalks everywhere to make people forget there once was a Songtan City. (May 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) June 2008Summer visit to a favorite spot (Jun 2008) On a lazy Saturday, I decided to pack up Shelly and head up to my favorite summer spot and enjoy the day reading a book and just goofing off. The spot is on the Jinwi Stream just below the reservoir. The reason I liked the spot is it is quiet, but not boringly so. I mean that it is right next to where local model aircraft fanatics gather to fly their aircraft -- thus providing entertainment during the day. In addition, there are sometimes paragliders who use the roadway for takeoffs and landings giving a nice air show if they are there.Arrived around noon and put up my small tent in case Shelly wanted to sack out. And just played around. Rewound my fishing reels and practiced casting with a bobber but no hook. Actually people were using nets to try and catch fish. There are 3 inch corvina in the stream, but nothing I'd want to catch. There was one guy just next door sitting in a chair in the stream fishing -- but I think he was doing the same thing as me, just enjoying a beautiful day.   Parked along the stream with tent set up and chair/cooler along stream (Jun 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Then Shelly started investigating and found that the people next door would give her food if she looked at them with sad eyes -- what a mooch!!! Apologized and brought her back, but as soon as I turned my back she was back over there. The young women liked Shelly so I just let her go.  Shelly, the mooch (Jun 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Then the modelers started flying helicopters so it was interesting having a model helicopter buzz the stream. Then the paragliders showed up and before long three were circling overhead. Read a few chapters, ate some sandwiches I'd made and just kicked back and had a restful day. Of all the spots in the local area, this is the best place to kick back for me.     Paragliders overhead (Jun 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) UPDATE(Sep 2008): Continued to go up to the same area throughout the summer, but I think I need to get a shade tent as reading in the sun gets old when there was no cloud cover. On cloudy days, it is excellent to sit with you feet in the stream and read a book. However, on sunny days without shade, you simply bake in the open. Now have a fishing umbrella that works great. Anyway, still love that area because not many people know about it -- though I noticed towards the end of the summer that a few more campers showed up on the weekends. Egrets walk in the stream when people are not around.    Favorite Relaxing Spot (Sep 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Upgrade of Backroads to Exercise Area (Jun 2008) They have upgraded the area where we walk for exercise. It used to be a dirt road from the Songbuk Elementary School area to the intersection point where the trail to the Buraksan Mountain exercise trail led. The Buraksan trail was upgraded over five years ago to a macadam covered path. When the Switzen (KCC) apartments were built two years ago, they constructed a macadamized path behind it connecting Songbuk Elementary School to the dirt road. At the junction about 2.5km from Songbuk Elementary and new church has been constructed. The dirt road along the others side of the Switzen apartments -- which leads to the main road -- was widened and made into a two-lane macadamized road. They installed a stone inlayed sidewalk with a metal railing along the new concrete drainage ditch. This leads to the restaurants that are along the old Buraksan trail. After the restaurants there is an upgraded exercise area with a covered rest area, water fountain, assorted exercise equipment including barbells.   (L) New road (R) Mudang (Shaman) Display for the Mudang upstairs with the restaurant downstairs (Jun 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Mostly older folks use the walk in the day or evenings to get their exercise -- and some like us take their dogs along for the exercise too. The young folks just drive to the restaurants it seems. In the cooler months, it is a nice walk, but during the summer when there is no breeze, it can be very muggy.    The man and woman totems installed along the road side of the Mudang/Restaurant location (Jun 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) UPDATE (Sep 2008): The spot with the totem poles has added a restaurant upstairs -- where the Mudang used to be. It was getting ready to open in the last week of September. July 2008No no Demo in Seoul (Jul 2008) On 5 July, decided to go up to attend the No-no demo rally along the Cheogye Stream. It was a personal journey to join the people at the combination of (1) No-no Demo to stop the candlelight vigils and (2) the Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) group protesting that the candlelight vigils were detracting from the problems in the North. Although I don't approve of the idea of protesting protests, I saw that it was an exercise in democracy. These people had a right to protest -- even if it was against the others protests -- as the demonstrations have in my mind proven to be a radical exercise to overthrow the legitimately elected government by public opinion...instead of legitimate elections.I later found out that the Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) group was only putting in a cameo appearance and then holding their own march through the anti-US beef protest. The entire press release turned out to be so disappointingly wrong. Instead of 30,000 No-no Demo folks as stated in the Korea Times, only about 500 protestors showed up. As for the LiNK folks, there was a 40 member group that marched that day. Thus the numbers were disappointingly small -- though it really didn't matter as the principle of demonstrating opposition in a democratic and peaceful manner was what was important. Though the present demonstrations on the surface appear to be about the anti-US beef deal, it is really about overturning the ROK-US Fair Trade Agreement. If the ROK didn't import beef, the US said it was going to stop the FTA. Once that happened, the ROK would have been open to all kinds of problems economically (with WTO suits filed for unfair abrogation of a trade agreement), diplomatically (as the ROK's word on negotiations would be worthless) and militarily (as it would be slapping its largest ally in the face). The demonstrations are the last gasp of the progressives who were booted out of power after ten years of excesses. What is seen in these demonstrations were the radical political parties (UDP, LDP, LFP); every radical NGO activist group from anti-war to unification to environmentalists; and every radical religious group (Catholic, Protestant, and Buddhist) joined together with one goal to undermine the authority of the Lee Myeong-bak administration -- even before it could get its feet on the ground. He had not been in office 100 days when the activists started blaming him for troubles that THEY had done while in power. All the ills of the nation were laid at his doorstep. The saddest thing was that the conservative elements in the face of the overwhelming progressive turnout -- meekly stayed at home and said nothing. Some conservatives made their feelings show, but they were very small. Again, this journey was for my personal satisfaction as I felt it was an exercise in democracy -- that I had witnessed being so brutally abused by the progressive elements. I wrote on GI ROK Drop blog: "I don't like the idea of protestors protesting protests. It even sounds ridiculous. But on second thought after looking at the article on OhMy News of the protests overseas by Koreans over the Mad Cow issue in Europe and US/Canada, I guess I should say that the overseas Koreans have made it clear that the foreigners have a RIGHT to protest in Korea — as a democracy — just as they themselves could in other countries around the world.As I was headed to Seoul, a lot of the preliminaries were under way -- despite the rain. The politicians were out in force bright and early. Though they were supposedly asked by the Mad Cow Committee to distance themselves from the issue only a few weeks prior, here they were as big as life. This was the make or break Saturday and they wanted to be part of the photo ops -- to say to their constituents, "I was there in the fight to the end." All the progressive parties, UDP, LDP and FFP were there. Most recognizable was Kang Ki-gap from the DLP who has been the leader of the politicians in the anti-US beef campaign.  Politicians assemble for group photo prior to rally (3:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh) Took the subway to Seoul in the afternoon figuring it would give me two and half hours to get there and then be able to wander around. Unfortunately, it was a lousy day because of the rainfall. Bought a Korea Times at the subway station, but never got a chance to read it as I was standing all the way up to Seoul City Hall. Then when I got outside, the rain made sure everything in my backpack including the newspaper was soaked.   Seojong-ro Empty and wet (5:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Arrived at Seoul City Hall Station around 4:00. Inside the station, it was still too early for the people to be handing out stickers and signs so it was relatively uncrowded. Walked up to Seoul City Hall from the station. It was only a light rain so it was not too bad. Wearing my Hang Ten sandals, I squished my way around the crowds that were gathering despite the rain. The tents were set up along the Seoul City Hall side handing out free water along with free reversible "LMB Out" and "Candle Power Wins" signs. Got a sign, but it was soon a soggy mess in the rain. You could see that the groups were massing under their banners. Smaller groups were assembling along the walls of Deoksu palace. In the Seoul Plaza, there were kids doing some really catchy dance numbers in synchronized fashion. These are the folks I call the "Pep Squad" during the past demonstrations.  Handing out free water (5:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh)   (L) March in the rain (R) Setting things up at City Hall (5:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   Setting things up at City Hall (5:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Pep Squad in Action (R) Banners at City Hall (5:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The police had their buses strung along the road two deep with a little corridor that allowed one to get behind to the Cheogye Stream, that Lee Myeong-bak was so proud of when he was the Mayor of Seoul. The police were still setting up for the nights festivities -- and also preparing to keep the demonstrators away from the No-no Demo demonstration.   Police Changing into Rain Suits at City Hall (5:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Got to the Cheongye Stream early and there was a small group there for the No-no Demo and the base of the pink shell sculpture. Some people refer to it as the "pink poop" because of its resemblance to a pile of turds. Others like me simple call it a shell. However, its European artists claim it is a fusion of two ribbons -- humanity and urban life -- to represent Seoul. Just a bunch of gibberish as it stands out like an eyesore. I figured, I might as well walk down the stream a bit to see what was there. In the summer heat, the place is packed with people and it has become a favorite congregation area for conservative counter protests to the progressive demonstrations two blocks down at Seoul City Hall. Along the street level, there were tables with umbrellas set along the wall of the stream. Stairs led down to the sunken stream. The fountain at the start of the stream was not turned on, but the place at night is a very beautiful spot with lights embedded in the fountains and at the bottom of the artificial stream bed. At first on might think the stream was natural, but the stones were all set in concrete to give the ripple effect. Supposedly the greatest achievement is that the stream which used to be a filthy drainage ditch with an overpass above it, has now returned to original levels of water purity. The stream blends the water theme nicely with the walk along the stream with bridges to cross over the stream. There are runoff channels for running water along the sidewalks to tie the water theme together. Walked down along the stream only until the open exhibition area. In some areas there are stands of vegetation along the banks, but there are no trees which might block the view from the street level. There were very few people there because it was so soggy. More than a few people later would come to the stream -- as they were also attending the protest at City Hall.   (L) Shell sculpture (R) Stairs leading down to stream (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)       Cheogye Stream (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   (L) Carriage rides along the Cheogye Stream with poor ponies standing in the rain (R) Cheogye Stream near tables (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) By the time I returned to the area at 5:30, there were a few more people, but it was mainly the Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) group. The people in the front with banners were waving them back and forth as people with the major amount of people behind them. Others stood at the base of the monument to get a better view -- because sitting down on the soggy grass was not a good idea. The protest was supposed to run from 5-8 pm. It was fairly obvious that the touted 30,000 people were going to be a no-show. Though I'm certain that quite a few people didn't attend because of the rain, I was also sure even before I came that those numbers would never be reached. The conservative elements could only muster about 3,000 max for their rallies and the Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) mustered only a handful of people at their last major rally during the Chinese Torch Relays in May. As I looked around most of the people were old folks -- most in the 70s. The newspapers said there would be 300 "body guards" -- former North Korean soldiers -- to protect them, but I certainly did not notice anyone fitting that description. They were either very well-disguised or like the 30,000 figure was a total exaggeration. Though it was noisy, it was attracting few people as it was still raining and everyone was in a hurry to get wherever they were going. At 5:30, there were very few people at the demonstration.   (L) Dreary day raining on No-no Demo (R) Demonstrators around base of Pink Shell structure (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Things were pretty relaxed as the riot police moved into position around 5:30 and there was very little going on besides the No-no Demo demonstration. The riot police were still setting up and positioning themselves in preparation for the night's activities.   Riot police at Pink Shell moving into position without body armor (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Riot police moving into position (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The Hanchongryeon in their military fatigues were down by the 7-11. They were most likely there because of the reports that there were going to be large masses of conservatives rallying. They were there in anticipation of trouble. At around 5:30 the medics started to show up and check in with the Hanchongryeon. When it turned out that only 500 old people would show up, they were looking very bored -- almost disappointed.   Hanchongryeon hanging out near 7-11 (5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) These young men are Hanchongryeon "storm troopers/peace marshalls" during these protests. They are supposedly there to prevent violence by keeping the people separated from the police -- but there is enough photographic evidence that shows them in the front lines of the initial action. Be aware that the radicals are very aware that impressions are more important than substance. From politician to NGO activist group to the Hanchongryeon, they all use the media to shape public perceptions highlighting their "noble" cause -- but attempting to prevent the dissemination of the pictures of them caught in deception or violence. (SITE NOTE: On this site, there is tons of photos of them doing this not only in this event, but in Daechuri and going back to the angry riots in Puan.) They want to project the public image of being the "peace marshalls" trying to prevent violence, but in actuality they are the coordinators. In this case, I observed how they had prepared for an aggressive confrontation from the conservative element and had medics checking in with them at the 7-11. The medics wore red cross armbands and yellow vests. It was obvious that these Hanchongryeon "storm troopers" were standing down as there was going to be no major battle -- and their orders were that the radicals would now become peaceful angels. A small detail was they removed the green duct tape from their nametags that gave them the appearance that they were hiding something during acts of violence. (SITE NOTE: After years of reviewing photos of these people in action using pipes, sharpened hooks to cut riot police throats, splintered bamboo poles to slice up the police from 8 feet away -- these are simply thugs who actually believe they are fighting for democracy. In these anti-US beef demonstrations, there are enough photos that show these "storm troopers" are in the front ranks of the attacks of police -- and that "peace marshall" PR stuff is a big smokescreen.) As "peace marshalls," they are supposed to prevent unscheduled clashes that would draw away from the main plan of the radicals for the day. These Hanchongryeon "storm troopers" are in the forefront of any face-off with the police and it is easy to tell what direction the confrontation will take by observing the direction they are faced. If they are facing the police with their backs to the the crowd, there will be impending problems. They are acting as part of the crowd with the Hanchongryeon "shock troops" (individuals in the 20s-30s) right behind them. If they are facing away from the police towards a aggressive crowd, they have received orders to stop the progressive protestors as it is an unplanned confrontation. On this day, they would be facing the crowd -- playing as the "peace angel" card. As it became apparent that these people posed no threat, the Hanchongryeon storm troopers played the trump card by making hand lettered signs saying that there was a new beginning of non-violence. This was widely photographed by the progressive media. If anything after observing them up close, my disdain for the Hanchongryeon only increased. Their insincerity when they were holding up the signs was not caught on video. They were using their signs of non-violence to taunt the elderly demonstrators facing them. They were waving the signs on their heads -- but as soon as the press rushed over, they put on their feigned serious faces. This was all a show -- as I mentioned before it was to give the perception of being non-violent -- which had nothing to do with the truth of what they really are. However, the fact that they had assembled in preparation for a confrontation certainly belies this fact. It was like listening to crocodiles promising that they won't bite as they wipe the tears from their eyes.   Hanchongryeon doing their disingenuous "peace angel" act (6:30 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Hanchongryeon as "peace angel" act (6:30 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) (SITE NOTE: The photo in the Hankyoreh had a CIVILIAN female carrying the sign. This must have happened when I turned away, but this makes a world of difference as being "representative" of the new and improved radicals who now profess to be non-violent. The progressive media don't miss even the slightest nuances.) At 6:30, there were a few more people in the crowd and some Caucasians -- I assume they were English teachers -- started to appear. However, there was still only a small crowd of perhaps 500 people max. Most were clustered under their umbrellas near the stage, but a few climbed the base of the Pink Shell to get a better view. The moderator was repeatedly playing the "Shaba-shaba" song -- with its childish innocence to inspire the crowd, but in my opinion, it was an inappropriate choice for the serious nature of the Free Korea arguments. It was apparent that the LiNI crowd was not well represented in the group. I had expected the prearranged sketches that it is famed for, but there was nothing. I would later find out that the LiNK folks were only putting in a cameo appearance and then head off to hold a mock funeral march for all the North Koreans dying in North Korea and China. The No-no Demo were the main backers of the audio visual skits and presentations. This association with the LiNK was showing its flaws very early on. Its video presentations were certainly not up to the standards that the progressives in the anti-US beef protest were doing. In comparison, it was almost amateurish. Passersby were stopping to observe the goings-on at the demonstration, but none seemed to want to join the crowd and kept their distance on the sidewalk. The demonstration equipment consisted of a truck with a stage area and another truck equipped with a large projection screen. They used internet technology to video the speakers on stage and then transmit their images to the screen on the neighboring truck. Things they could have done better would have had an internet commentator working the crowds with a mike and video camera like the progressive media does. He could be asking people what they thought and of course, their comments would all be the same, but it would have added interest to the demonstration. In all, it showed that this was a crowd NOT of the internet generation. This was a group of staunch conservatives of the older generation.  Sign spin-off of Ghost Busters for No-no Demo (6:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh)   No-no Demo (6:30 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   No-no Demo (6:30 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) There were rabble-rousers rotating in the crowd. These were people looking to stir up trouble. These were not young men, but those in their 50s who were strolling through the No-no Demo crowd with a smirk on their faces holding up their "LMB Out" or "Candle Power Wins" signs. The message was clear -- we win! However, they simply there to taunt the crowd. One old man became vocal with the group. He was wearing a pink raincoat with a candlelight teen stencil on the back making him easy to pick out in the crowd. He was like one of those people you see outside a pojangmacha street cart after 10 bottles of soju too many -- looking for a fight. Only this man wasn't drunk. He was ejected from the area with the help from the riot police, but soon returned with more of his friends.   Disturbance with Hanchongryeon facing crowd -- no one wants violence (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  No-no Demo (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Immediately the police swung into action forming a police line between the crowd and the No-no Demo crowd who had fallen back. The man with the pink raincoat stood out at the front shouting at the No-no Demo demonstration. However, my general impression was that this crowd were simply pick-me-ups from along the street. They did not have the feel of a crowd ready to rumble -- only one wanting to scream and shout. The Hanchongryeon moved to position themselves between the police and the crowd -- and took the stance of facing the crowd. This meant that they had received instructions that there was to be no violence. Again the impression would have been devastating to their cause with the press -- all with cameras pointed in their direction -- showing the mob trying to attack a bunch of old people. Things cooled down and the crowd dispersed. After this the police formed a police line separating the No-no Demo folks from the rest of the pedestrian traffic. They first used policemen to form a cordon, then moved in yellow plastic sawhorses with the police behind them and finally drove buses in to form a complete block of the front area of the main demonstration. The rear end was open to the public as the Cheogye Stream was open to the public and the rain had stopped. Things were still soggy, but I didn't have to break out the raincoat I had in my pocket. At 7:00 pm the rain stopped, but everything -- including me -- was sopping wet. Being soaked to the skin, it didn't matter to me when I sat down at the base of the Pink Shell structure on the wet marble slabs. Everything was wet. Then they came around handing out new signs and small Korean flags to everyone. It seemed to give a kick-start to the demonstration as everyone was waving their flags along to the music.   No-no Demo (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  No-no Demo (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) When I came to the demonstration, I was under the impression that the LiNK folks were a part of the demonstration, but I was mistaken. They were only putting in a cameo appearance. The LiNK speakers were passionate to say the least, but the message was the same. North Koreans are suffering in China so allow them to come to South Korea and North Korea is killing our people. Soon the small group of about 40 members formed up in their funeral attire (black clothes with white gloves) and affixed tape over their mouths to symbolize the silence over the human rights violations in the North. In silence, they walked down past Deoksu palace and then directly through the anti-US beef crowd that was growing larger by the hour.  LiNK group marching past Deoksu Palace in a mock funeral (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Flying Yangban) The No-no Demo stage was occupied by the speaker, a moderator and a girl I guess whose only purpose was to be a cheerleader on the songs by waving two Korean flags. There was on English speaker who spoke the expected words of the suffering of the North Korean refugees and his words translated into Korean were well received. But like most demonstrations, the words were spoken to believers -- not to convince or convert anyone of their beliefs. As far as the No-no Demo video program, I found it weak and amateurish. Unlike the slick presentations the radicals produce, this was done by a young person. Instead of using single photos of individual acts of violence, it showed the overhead screen shots of the violence. It did not have any impact value. By using the internet, they could have come up with hundreds of photos of the violence...and I would have included the Hanchongryeon in their uniforms as well. I would have included more photos of the violence done to the police. I would have hammered home that these people were violent -- and though they were masking themselves as peaceniks today, they were the same violent radicals they have always been. Could I have done better, probably. What does this say to me as an outsider? It says that this group of demonstrators were not organized, funded or staffed at the same level as the radicals. They were outclassed. People stopped to observe the goings on from across the police lines, but none stopped for any length of time. This was as mentioned before that the program was boring and repetitious -- with confused messages from the No-no Demo group and the Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) group. It was a marriage of convenience that brought these two groups together, but it was a mismatch that garbled both of their messages.  No-no Demo after rain stopped (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Flying Yangban) However, it was not a waste of time as I got to watch the riot police in action and came to have an even greater respect for their job -- and their commanders. They kept the radicals away from the protest with an ease that comes only from long hours of duty doing the same thing repeatedly. They made the maneuvers look so easy. When trouble popped up, the police moved swiftly without hesitation and prevented the situation from escalating into an open conflict.   Riot Policemen changing into battle armor (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)  Riot Policemen changing into battle armor (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) The faces of many of the riot policemen were in their early twenties. These were the kids who didn't go to college and were fulfilling their military duty before getting on with their lives. They looked so young up close. On the other hand, the Hanchongryeon people looked like spoiled college brats with their spiked hairdoes and colored hair -- hanging out and trying to look cool. What impressed me most about the riot policemen was how the moved to swiftly change from a crowd control line without body armor to a riot police line with shields without breaking formation. They first distributed the shields all along the line. Then they had one group of riot policemen fully suit up in helmets and body armor replace those without armor. Those pulled out of the line would hastily suit up and then replace the next in line. It was all done very smoothly. However, you could see that this group was taking up too much manpower while the crowds on the main radical side were growing down near City Hall. These troops had to be freed up. The police used buses to cordone off the front area relieving these riot policemen. The policemen relieved by the buses would form up at the rear of No-no Demo area and then when called for, rush off in the direction of City Hall.   Riot Policemen forming up at Cheogye Stream before going to City Hall (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) By 7:30, the front part of the area stretching down past the Pink Shell statue was surrounded by buses. This left only the rear area open with a small line of riot policemen along the rails of the Cheogye Stream -- near the fountain -- guarding the demonstration. It was fairly certain that the radical demonstrators were going to leave this No-no Demo alone as any confrontation would cause it to lose any credibility that it was now a non-violent movement. The riot police concentrated their efforts on the main demonstration. At 7:30 I left as there was nothing different going on and things were very boring. I wrote on Marmot's Hole blog: in response to another attendee's posting: "Was also there at the nonodemo and was very disappointed with the turnout — after it was announced with such fanfare. The media said there was going to be 30,000 and as you can attest it was about 500. But that is the media's fault — and the guy giving overly optimistic press releases. The teachers that were supposed to show up??? Think I saw only about 5 — of the 100 that was supposed to show.As I passed the demonstration at City Hall everywhere was packed. Yonhap News said, "Tens of thousands of angry South Koreans, including religious leaders, rallied in the rain in central Seoul on Saturday, accusing their government of resuming U.S. beef imports without addressing health risks associated with the move." What we witnessed was that they really weren't so much chanting to press their point, but simply out to show their support for the progressive cause in a peaceful candlelight protest -- but I'm not so certain whether a lot of folks showed up because of the entertainment promised with musicians, entertainers and high profile speakers. It was much like a free concert..  YMCA group with their banners waving at anti-US beef protest (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Flying Yangban)   Aerial view of the exploding crowd (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh/Kyunghyang) (SITE NOTE: It is fascinating how the activists are "color-coded" in the aerial shot. The gray at the front are the Catholic nuns with the green environmentalists (Green Korea) behind them. Not sure of the red, but the orange vests belong to the KCTU.) The rain had stopped, but everything was still wet. This didn't deter the thousands of people assembled there from finding a small place to squeeze into. The mass of people stretched all the way down Seojongro and filled the avenue to bursting. Along the sidewalks everyone was nestled into their little spaces in small groups. The mix of the crowd was everything from teeny-bopper to old folks with the majority being family groups. On the stage there was the celebrity moderator and everyone was poised to have a good time. The KBS cameras set up on a cherry picker was hovering overhead to get the panoramic views. The media was there in force, but none were sporting their white helmets that they had been wearing in the past weeks of violent demonstrations. This candlelight vigil was intended to be a peaceful movement. One note on attendance: The organizers claimed that 500,000 people showed up. In our eyeball estimation, there were only 50,000 people. Andy Jackson of the Flying Yangban blog was also there and when he went home, he caught a taxi from the Namdaemun circle. He took a picture that showed the area empty at that end -- and if there were even a 100,000, it would have been filled.  Photo towards City Hall from Namdaemun (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Flying Yangban) When comparing this to what I had just come from, I can see that no conservative group could ever compete with the progressives in setting up a production like this in such a short time. First, the progressives already have the full support of most of the entertainment community -- who in turn would jump at the chance to be part of this movement that can only increase their popularity. Thus they can easily assemble a program of first-rate stars, while a bush league No-no Demo can only get amateur talent -- if they're lucky. When it comes to publicity, the progressives have all the resources in the world as the major news -- even conservative press -- are at this event. The progressive MBC and KBS of course get first preference on coverage.  Kwon Hae-hyo as MC of the event (8:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh) (SITE NOTE: Kwon Hae-hyo is beholding to the beleaguered MBC and KBS for his success on TV miniseries.) The planning of the event was meticulous. There was all kinds of entertainment from the "pep squads" with their peppy dances to the games set up by the KTEWU to entertain the kids. Free water and even free cucumbers were handed out to people along with signs. The entertainment was all top-rate acts. As far as a great entertainment concert, the anti-US beef was hands-down a great event.  Mad cow games setup by the KTEWU to entertain the kids (10:30 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh) The obligatory protest march took place around 10 pm. Of course, in the forefront were the politicians as well as all the activist religious groups.   (L) March (R) Politicians with Kang Ki-gap (10:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh/VOP)   (L) Protest march (R) Aerial view of march (10 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh/VOP)   Protest march (10 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh/VOP)  Aerial View of crowd (10 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh)   Aerial view (10 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh)   (L) Candles on the centerline of Seojong-ro (R) Cameraman in a cherry picker basket (10 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh/VOP) One of the unique shows was a group with masks from the cartoon feature, "V for Vendetta." When questioned what the "V" meant by an American, he was told that it stood for "Victory." We, however, find that answer disingenuous as the movie in the Korean subtitles is very specific in saying that the inverted "V" stands for ANARCHY. Whether one believes the group or not is irrelevant. It is a slick use of movie icons to serve their needs -- instant recognition and it changes the meanings to suit its purposes. If they say it means "victory" so be it. It also carries the undertones of fighting against a repressive regime (LMB). The fact is that it is a great example of the slick propaganda campaigns using visual images.   "V for Vendetta" masks (10 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh) When I got home at 10:00, I was hot and sticky -- and I wanted some Naengmyeon (cold noodles) desperately. My daughter and I went to a restaurant and then to a PC bang (Computer room) to relax. Pulled up the internet TV of the Candlelight Vigil and I was really disappointed that the internet TV was squeezed out of this performance. Logistically, I can see why as they would have to walk amongst the tightly packed crowds asking people questions and this could be a problem. The second problem would be copyright infringement as the performances were on MBC and they don't like competition for viewership. Therefore, what they had was a moderated commentary of the performances that were going on. It was very boring and I switched it off. After I got home, I pulled up the site again and it was still moderated so I just went to sleep. Actually, there was a quasi-news blackout on the Candlelight Vigil with only annoucements on the news programs. It was almost as though the conservative elements were trying to make sure the protests were NOT getting free advertising, while the progressive elements were using all of their resources to ensure that it did. It seems sort of like there is a side drama going on in this switch of direction for the progressives. As you already know from my opinions, I believe the violent nature of these radical groups has been shown repeatedly over the years -- and I don't believe for one second that they are going to be non-violent. I believe that they are like the Korean fairy tale of the tiger talking to the old grandmother with a glib tongue saying it is peaceful and promising everything to gain entry into the home -- and then devouring everyone. These folks are in a life-and-death struggle for their very existence. LMB has sworn to root them out -- and the witchhunt has already started. They have nothing to lose and will say -- and do -- anything to gain the people's support. I have said repeatedly, "THIS PROTEST IS ABOUT OVERTURNING THE LMB GOVERNMENT BY ILLEGAL MEANS THROUGH POPULAR SUPPORT INSTEAD OF LEGITIMATE ELECTIONS." "Popular support" to the progressives is not REAL "numerical support" but the PERCEPTION of "numerical support." This demonstration drew between 50,000-70,000 people -- including teeny-boppers. To claim this represents the 40 million Koreans of the ROK is preposterous. However, there is a PERCEPTION that they have popular support -- which any liberal progressive will tell you is equal to the real thing. As a side issue, the people were distributing flyers calling for the resignation of the Eo Choeng-soo, Police Commissioner because of allegations of the violent putdown of their peaceful attacks with pipes on the riot police and accidental destruction of 58 buses. This was all for show as Amnesty International was on hand to review the progressives allegations of administration brutality. We observed one stuck on a bus stop -- and watched as the press took a photo of it.   Flyers for Resignation of Police Commissioner (7:00 pm -- 5 Jul 2008) (Hankyoreh/VOP) In conjunction with the conservative crackdown on the leaders of the violent protests, six members of the association who are wanted by the police for organizing illegal rallies began on 6 Jul a protest at Jogye Temple in Seoul. Baek Eun-jong, vice president of the "Alliance for Impeaching (President) Lee Myung-bak," refused to be arrested by police at Seoul Plaza at 5:50 a.m. on the same day and took shelter at the temple with other members. Police said, "Baek did not respond to the police request for presence as many as four times. The arrest implementation on 6 Jul was decided after we negotiated with Baek in advance." (Source: Donga Ilbo.) The police have surrounded the building, but stated they would not enter the temple to make arrests. However, said as soon as they step outside, they will be arrested. This action by the activists to hide out in a Buddhist temple seems associated with the Amnesty International review. Outside of the Jogye order's headquarters on 7 Jul was a banner calling for the resignation of the Police Commissioner over police brutality. However, the police are not intimidated by the Amnesty International's upcoming interviews as they feel that they have a strong case of the violence committed upon its policemen by the Hanchongryeon and activist groups. As to the sales of beef, the real indicator of whether the anti-US beef protests are losing weight, the sales continue to be strong. A meat shop under the management of U.S. beef importer A-meat said, "We sold about 1,800 kilograms of U.S. beef over the weekend. Starting with the sale of 400 kilograms Tuesday, we're selling a daily average of 800 to 1,000 kilograms." (Source: Donga Ilbo.) However, it can only be considered "over" when other retail meat shops join in the sales of US beef. U.S. beef began to hit store shelves in South Korea last week, and consumer reactions were reportedly positive. The imported meat costs about one-fourth the price of beef from South Korean cattle. According to the Chosun Ilbo, "the weekend's street protests passed peacefully without violent clashes with police. The rally, which began Saturday afternoon and lasted until dawn on Sunday in Seoul Plaza, Euljiro and Jongno, attracted according to the police over 50,000 people -- and 500,000 by the organizers' estimate. This was the largest since June 10, when the police estimate of more than 80,000 people gathered to protest against the import of U.S. beef. There are cautious predictions that public sentiment will calm down. Numbers were significantly smaller on Sunday, when about 500 people turned up. The Catholic Priests' Association for Justice (CPAJ) released a statement on Sunday, saying Saturday was "a significant day to celebrate the victory of people," so members stopped their hunger strike and returned to their churches. Buddhist groups decided to postpone a ceremony planned for Tuesday. "There was internal discussion that we should wait and see how the government responds," a spokesman said. Groups including the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice (CPAJ), the National Council of Churches in Korea (KNCC) and Lotus World of the Jogye order voluntarily removed tents they set up in Seoul Plaza on Sunday. (Source: Chosun Ilbo.) (SITE NOTE: This means the highly publicized hunger strikes of the religious leaders silently died.) ``We've decided to come up with new strategies. The demonstrations will go on until the renegotiation is made, but in another way,'' an association spokesman said. The official fell short of revealing details of future actions. The biggest sign that the progressives are on the run is that the main opposition Democratic Party (formerly the United Democratic Party) held a national convention on July 6 and the National Assembly will open an extra session on July 7. The National Assembly has been boycotted by the UDP since 30 May on claims that it would NEVER return until there was a renegotiation. Now they are returning. Cheong Wa Dae plans a reshuffle of the Cabinet during the week, it is NOT a massive shakeup that the progressives had hoped for. Only three ministers were replaced. With the association and religious groups showing signs of retreat, candlelit protests are expected to lose their vigor going forward. UPDATE (Sep 2008): After this protest, the attendance dropped off radically. The protests continued to be violent, but the police no longer tolerated them and became proactive by using water cannons with dye, but also started the use of portable dye backpacks. A special unit of riot police was formed to handle the violent protests. The promoters were holed up in a Choge Order Buddhist Temple. The association are beomg sued by merchants -- and even the no-no demo has filed a class action suit. The US beef has entered the Korean markets, but acceptance is still slow -- though it is steadily increasing its market share in Korea. (SEE Boneless Beef Row Part III -- Beef Issue Politicized (Jul 2008-???) for detailed information.) August 2008Happy Birthday to Me Another forgettable birthday. The only pleasant surprise is that my daughter bought be a "cheap" ($400 range) Sony Cybershot digital camera. Loved it. Even though it is the low-end of the model, it is everything I need to play with my history hobby. I can take about 560 photos -- but the battery gives out before that happens and has to be recharged. In one way was happy, but on the other hand, I really don't want my daughter to spend her hard-earned money on me. I want her to spend it on herself.  Boram and Yoon at McDonald's (21 Aug 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) No buffet this year. Instead, went to McDonald's on the corner and got a double bacon-cheese burger with fries -- even if it does clog the arteries. Pictures above were taken with my new present from Boram. Ho-hum. Another year older... History Briefing to Korean Planning Committee for Shinjang New Town (Aug 2008) In early August, I read an entry in my guestbook but it was all in hangul -- which the Tripod guestbook couldn't handle. This was followed by an email from Kim Joon-Woo of Cheil Engineering Co., Ltd asking about the use of the photos on my site. I stated that as long as they were for "official use" I could see no problem. The project is a Pyeongtaek City project so it would be considered "official." The project he was describing was the complete reconstruction of the Shinjang 1-dong and Shinjang 2-dong areas stretching from Jaeyok Road to the Songtan Tourist Hotel Area. The project is still in the conceptual stages and there is a lot of discussions going on between the planners and the residents. Mr. Kim sent an email asking quite a few questions which I felt I needed to ask others about. He swiftly backed off on the questions stating perhaps they were too broad, etc. However, JUST IN CASE, I asked on GI ROK Drop Blog for assistance from any expats in the area. I received only two responses and incorporated them into a reply I formulated to deliver if asked again. Then Mr. Kim asked if I would deliver a briefing on the history of the area on 26 August at the Shinjang 2-dong office where the Planning Committee was meeting. It seems that there is no historian for the area except me. I said I would and Mr. Kim used the photos to set up a slide presentation -- and he did all the work. He sent me the package via email and attached some questions (in Hangul that my daughter translated) for each of the sections. I researched out the questions and printed up multi-page packet with the answers to the questions. When I arrived at the meeting, I met Mr. Kim Joon-Woo and was introduced to the head of the Committee, Mr. Kim Jin, of DANU Architects/Engineers Co., Ltd. Also was introducted to Professor Jung Chang-Mu of Seoul National University, School of Civil, Urban & Geosystem Engineering. These would be the primary members interested in the historical inputs from a planning perspective. The Committee also consisted of local government officials from Pyeongtaek, building construction companies, and government planners. Because the time was limited -- and I can talk for hours -- I skimmed through the slides very quickly on the initial building of the area explaining how they used the materials initially from the pass between Hill 180 and Hill 170 to use as fill as it served two purposes. One they needed to build a road over the hill and at the same time they needed fill to build up over the existing rice paddies. The main point I wanted to make was that the Shinjang Mall Road area was MAN-MADE of the decomposed granite (crumbly stone) and my written recommendation was to ensure that soil-core surveys were done as cracks are showing up on the structures at Kunyoung Apartments along Route 1. I explained that the stone quarry was down at Suwon but this stone was used for the runway construction. The Shinjang Mall Road area is only soil cut from Hobak hill and Hill 180. The committee showed an interest in Paradise Lake, but I briefed that it was long gone and Kunyong Apartments had been constructed over it. They asked if it was a real "lake" and I stated it was simply a swamp area that some enterprising person lined with rocks and made a row-boat pond out of. Questions of whether it was widely used was obvious as it was the 1970s and there was absolutely nothing to do except drink and run the bars. It would be a few more years before the roads were reasonable to go to Seoul on the weekend. The committee asked questions about the troop strength and size of Osan AB, but I referred them to the Public Affairs Office with a caveat that they wouldn't get any answer as this was under the OPSEC rules. Answered questions about the new housing areas on the base and how there were still shortages resulting in many of those on command sponsored tours residing in Switzen, Life or Dongbu Apartments. Others who were non-command sponsored were in smaller apartments because they had to pay for it out of their pockets. This led to more questions of command sponsored tours versus non-command sponsored tours. I explained the percentages of accompanied families in Japan and Germany at 75 percent versus Korea at 10 pecent. I told them bluntly that though Gen Sharp wants to make Korea a three-year command sponsored tour for families, it was not going to happen anytime soon because KOREA didn't want to pay for it. Glossed over the cost-sharing issues and conflict between the USFK and Ministry of Defense, but they seemed to have some understanding of it. Concept: New reconstruction of Shinjang Mall area There were questions of the BX and I stated that it was the largest in Korea. They were interested in the future sales of the area. I stated that Shinjang Mall was transitioning away from high-end tailor made goods into ready made imported goods. This means that many of the first generation shop owners are going to retire and their children will take over, but diversify. I also mentioned that there is a basic distrust of Korean businesses by US military as a general rule. There are too many instances where GIs have been cheated -- or short-changed when compared to Korean customers. Therefore, the attitude is "caveat emptor" (buyer beware) when going downtown. I also briefed them that many shops at Shinjang Mall open small stalls at the BX because of a tendency for GIs to shop on base rather than go downtown -- even if they are paying 10 percent more at the concession on base. (NOTE: The concessions need to mark up the price as they have to pay for the stalls.) What I had seen at the meeting, I briefed to two leaders of the Shinjang area -- which has been broken up into ten segments. These two were the owner of Hanyang Kalbi and Kasey Lee Tailor. I made a copy of the packet of materials I was given at the meeting for their use in meeting with the Planning Committee later on. A few days after the meeting, Mr. Kim Jin-Woo wrote me and stated that my inputs (the ones I prepared JUST IN CASE) was going to be translated and discussed at the September meeting of their Planning Committee. The one thing I got out of the meeting was the packet. It gave me an idea of the scope of the project. I was able to scan them and because the quality was very good, I was able to blow up the photos to usable -- though not perfect -- size. Then I used Google Earth to map the area and print them out -- though the photos are from Apr 2007. Just as the 1978 was a pivotal period for the life of Shinjang Mall, the Shinjang New Town project will also be the same. I have started on photographing all the areas that will be razed to get a headstart on this history project. I visited the Songbuk-dong and Jisan-dong house offices to check on future projects in the area. The Songbuk-dong area reconstruction is in work at this time with the clearing of houses and building of a road along the tracks. The Jisan-dong side from the Shinjang overpass to the Songtan Station is basically completed and I'm assuming that they also are looking at turning the area into a community shopping area along the road. The concept is to build three connected decks from Mokchon underpass to Songtan Station. This will become a community athletic park with tracks and courts. The Songtan Station is envisioned as a community shopping area -- much like Suwon Station and would bring the shops along Seojong Tourism Road down to the Station. The Shinjang Mall area will be razed and high rise apartments will be built. Again all of this is still in a concept stage.     Decks Thus I have been going out and photographing the affected areas as my new project to document the buildings and roads BEFORE the razing of the Mall takes place -- even though it will be a few years down the road. There are still more details of this project that I need to get before I can really do this properly -- like understanding where the ten segments are located and what are the exact boundaries of the reconstruction and extent of the road building. UPDATE: On 19 Sep, I dropped by the Shinjang New Town office (actually the realty guys) and wanted to check on facts so I could photograph the affected areas. That's when I got a real shock. I was under the impression that the Namsan-teo area was basically going to be left alone except for laying out the roads on a grid. I was under the same impression for the Shinjang 2-dong area. However, the man in the office stated that there will be a three stage program.   COMPENSATION DISCUSSIONS: Currently they are discussing with the residents the compensation for properties. The areas have been divided into ten areas. The Shinjang New Town Office is not involved in these discussions which are primarily between the government agencies and planning committee members -- and the residents. Supposedly the formula will be based on where the current shop is located with respect to the main roads -- higher value -- versus those in the inner areas -- lower value. Supposedly after the shop/home owners are compensated, the areas will be leveled and new high-rises built along the mall. The businesses who existed before will be given new shop locations based upon a lottery system. At this time, it appears the first three stories of high-rises fronting the mall will be reserved for business owners. The upper floors will be residential. Though this phase is supposedly only to last a year, we can foresee a multitude of problems if there are holdouts that do not agree to the price of their properties -- the same as Daechu-ri that stalled the Camp Humphreys move. Legal condemnation of the lands takes a considerable time in Korea if civic groups get involved. Compensations to landowners still mostly paid in cash (Oct 2008) Despite government efforts to prevent speculative money from flowing into the real estate market, government compensation payments for expropriated land are still mostly in cash. According to the National Assembly’s audit on the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs yesterday, 25.1 trillion won ($20.6 billion) was paid for expropriated land last year. Of this, 91 percent or 22.9 trillion won was in cash. (SITE NOTE: The problem with payments in cash is that holdouts normally will receive higher payments than those that commit at the start. The reason is that the speculative nature of increasing landprices over future use. The lands being expropriated at a set amount is the only fair way. However, in Daechu-ri though the land was expropriated, the residents refused to leave until the government having no recourse -- sweetened the pot for the holdouts just to resolve the issue. In projects near the DMZ, similar problems are now occurring as the government attempts to expand some of its military bases.)FIRST STAGE: The first stage is to wipe Namsan-teo area off the map and start over. The area up near the base perimeter will become a park. There is new construction of apartments in the area that appear to be unaffected by the plan, but the areas surrounding it and to the base perimeter will be a park. What is throwing me off is that they used the term "reconstruction" -- but what we are talking about here is "urban renewal." The are not rebuilding the area, they are starting from scratch after razing all the structures. The roads in the Namsan-teo and Mokcheon areas will be laid out into a "grid pattern." These will incorporate bicycle routes alongside the roads. Encircling the area will be six-lane roads leading towards Pokchang Road. It is assumed that the road from Seotan-myeon will be connected to the roads at this time as well. At this point, the construction of the deck over the railway at the Mokcheon crossing will start and continue to extend down to the Songtan Station. These will be the community athletic parks with running tracks and tennis courts as the tops of the decks will be surfaced with dirt. In addition, the completion of the "urban renewal" in the Songbuk-dong area near the railroad tracks will be completed. The road will connect to the Jisan-dong area fronting the railroad which is already complete. Under the concept plan of turning Songtan Station into a "Community Shopping Area" there may be efforts to attract upscale businesses along the road. SECOND STAGE: The second stage is to wipeout the Shinjang Mall area and start from scratch there. A large fountain is planned at the start of the Mall. The construction of the road will continue from the Bravo Gate area in a straight line over Milwal to connect to Pokchang Road. There is talk that the Milwal hill area may be chopped away so that the builders can build taller buildings. In talking to the man at the Shinjang New Town office, they are still looking at 23 story apartments -- but in talking with Kasey Lee, former President of the Shinjang Chamber of Commerce, the buildings will be limited to 14 stories. This is going to be a big hassle point between the Ministry of Defense -- representing the ROKAF who are representing the USAF who have the only flying mission and runway -- versus the Pyeongtaek City Planners. I told Kasey that in the Pyeongtaek Si Sa (History) it talks about the friction between Osan AB and the city over the area all the way down to Pokchang Road and start from scratch. Supposedly the low lying areas will be leveled as they are flooding all the time. What doesn't compute is that I talked to the folks at the Prince Hotel and they stated that they would not be demolished -- though the Songtan Tourist Hotel stated that they would be torn down. Others I had talked to nodded their heads that this was going to be a two-story housing area -- giving me the impression that everything was going to be left alone except for the road widening. However, this latest news makes it appear that EVERYTHING is going to be wiped out. The impression I got from the man at the Shinjang New Town office was that high-rise apartments were also being considered for this area too. When I first viewed the concept, it looked like there would be three areas for high-rise construction near the Pokchang Road leading to the AOC. However, now that I've seen other maps, I'm starting to wonder what is REALLY being planned. The planners stated that it was to be two-story houses and low-rise apartments, but the Shinjang New Town Office indicates the whole area will be razed for high-rises. This portion is extremely hazy. Most of the roads in Shinjang 2-dong are already in a grid pattern, but widening will require leveling the houses. If they intend to cut into the hill to level the land, the entire area needs to be leveled. Further foggy ideas about a six-lane road running along the railroad tracks and around the base seems to be still in the conceptual stages.   Concept: Buildings in Bukcheon, Incheon   Concept: Buildings in Suwon   Concept: Buildings in Suwon   Concept: Buildings in Suwon CURRENT RESIDENT KNOWLEDGE OF PLAN VAGUE: Talked to Kasey Lee (Yi Kyung-chul), and he said, "Of course." His understanding of the project is rather vague though. I returned to the Shinjang New Town Office tried to get more information on the changes so I know what to photograph on this project. I thought I had almost all the photographs done and now it seems that I haven't even started. Took photos of the maps on the walls and of the building CONCEPT photos. The planning is still in the concept stages. They are still talking to the residents on compensation for their lands. However, this step is planned to take about one year. The big "if" is whether some residents might want to hold out. Given the rough deadline, this Shinjang New Town project won't be starting until PERHAPS 2010 at the earliest -- but probably expect it around 2012. Now that I know the scope, I can see a multitude of massive problems.   Map of Namsan-teo area   Map of Shinjang Mall area   Map of Shinjang 2-dong area   (L) Map of Shinjang 2-dong area (R) Map of Songbuk dong-Jisan dong area   (L) Map of Songbuk-dong area near railway (Mokcheon to Overpass) (R) Map of Jisan-dong near railway (Overpass to Songtan Station) September 2008Chuseok 2008 (13-15 Sep) On 13 Sep went up to my brother-in-law's apartment for Chuseok for the traditional ancestral honoring ceremony on the 14th. It has been a few years since I have accompanied the wife to this ceremony as I usually just stayed home. Anyway, we took a bus to Incheon for the first time -- as we usually use the subway -- and it was not bad. It turned out to be a more connvenient method than the subway which takes two stops and about two hours. The subway connection at the Incheon bus terminal is right outside the building so we could have caught the subway to the station just a few blocks from my brother-in-law's apartment. Instead, my brother-in-law came to get us at the terminal. The streets were relatively deserted in Incheon and most of the side streets were empty of traffic. Normally the boulevards are packed but during the holidays only the routes leading in or out of Seoul were jammed with traffic. Overall though, the traffic wasn't as bad as it has been in past years.  (L) Incheon Bus Terminal (R) Gangnam Express Bus Terminal We had planned to go to the cemetary on the 13th with the family, but the traffic was just too clogged up in the area of the Seoul Cemetary above Seoul. The TV projected hour long traffic jams just getting to and from the area. However, inside Seoul, the traffic was minimal and most of the sidestreets were empty. Everything was closed except for the fruit shops that remained open -- and a few of the corner grocery stores.   Roads inside Seoul empty Thus we went to visit my little nephew, Su-il, laid up in the hospital for an illness until after Chuseok. Even though he had an IV stuck in his arm, it didn't stop him from jumping around and be the hyperactive tyke that he is. They had just come back from Japan and were heading back to be with my other brother-in-law, Kil-sana, when Suil got sick. It is so surprising to see how big he's grown since the last time we saw him. Since his father has been in Japan on business, he and his mother would come down to Songtan quite often -- especially to visit the Thrift Shop for Suil's clothes as he outgrows them so fast. Because it was Chuseok, the gift shop was closed so I couldn't get him any toys or presents. I guess I should be glad because Suil's mother said that two little cars cost 10,000 won. As such we luckily got off with only 10,000 won for Chuseok -- and the old lady 10,000 won. Like a good kid, he turned the money over to his mother immediately. He hasn't learned that if he "seibei" (bows) he can get a 1,000 won from any sucker passing by. Maybe next year. During the visit, he was not acting sick at all. He was super-active when we got there and he loved to play a game with me sitting cross-legged on the floor where he would push with one fist against my fist and I would slowly topple over backwards. He loved it and repeated this over and over until he tired me out. He has no concept that I'm an old man. He's so active that the wife sat for about fifteen minutes trying to unravel his IV tube which was all twisted.   (L) Suil and his Mom (R) Suil in Rec Room   The rest of the afternoon was spent with the wife helping my sister-in-law in the kitchen preparing the food for the next day meal -- and also to be brought down later to Pyeongtaek for my sister-in-law's family in Anjung. The cooking was for not only the next day's meal, but also we would get a bunch of leftovers -- much like Thanksgiving where everybody takes home doggy-bags. We got off cheap for the feast as we brought only up two packs of Kalbi and two packs of ox-tail in a cooler. Family feasts can get expensive in a hurry. We were invited to go to Anjung too, but we begged off. My sister-in-law's brother asked if I wanted to go fishing the next day, but I begged off. The last time I went fishing with him in Pyeongtaek harbor, I slipped and barnacles took a chunk out of my leg that took four months to heal. I'll stick with freshwater fishing -- it's safer. That night we visited the neighborhood Home Plus (Tesco) -- the equivalent of our Emart down here in Songtan. There were a few more bargains -- but overall it was the same. Just enjoyed going around looking at stuff with my in-laws, but when my wife and sister-in-law hit the women's clothes department the long wait began. Humorously, after a while my brother-in-law got irritated with the long wait as my wife and sister-in-law tried on sunvisor/earmuff hats for winter trying to compare which one was best. The wife couldn't decide and got three -- typical!!! On the way out, the women spotted the dreaded sign -- "SALE 30%" in the shoe department. Again the long wait...and my brother-in-law was fuming by this time. Finally got out of there but it was an expensive side trip as I thought we were only going to buy some last-minute groceries. Slept over and the next morning the traditional ceremony took place. Took a lot of photos to document the sequence. Sadly, the last time I was part of this ceremony was when my father-in-law was still alive three years ago. Now his name is on the tablet in the center of the table along with my mother-in-law.   Setting up the table   (L) Setting up the candy dish (R) Soju and incense sticks   Table setting: Sweets   (L) Checking instructions for set up (R) Table setting: Fruits and chestnuts   (L) Dedication tablet for parents (R) Table setting: fish and sweets   (L) Sweets, rice cake and fish (R) Final table setting   Table setting: Rice bowls for parents   Final check of setting   (R) Yoon family bows: Kil-tong; Hwa-kum; Su-jin; Su-wan (L) Su-jin offers Soju   (R) Yoon family males bow: Kil-tong; Su-jin; Su-wan (L) Hwa-kum looks at tablet   Kil-tong prepares dishes for parents   Putting all the table setting and food away After eating the Chuseok meal, took a walk with my brother-in-law and I see they have upgraded his neighborhood quite a bit. There is a new walking park just a few minutes from his apartment. We walked a circular route and came by his new office just a few minutes from his house. After that, the wife loaded up on all the Korean leftover food to bring home. We returned to Songtan via my brother-in-law's car and viewed the backed up traffic going to Seoul stretching for miles. But even heading in the opposite direction to Pyeongtaek was dragging along at 50-60kmph. At Hwaseong, my brother-in-law, an expert at driving the roads in Korea, cut off and bypassed the slowdowns. Driving the back country roads was faster than the expressway. The normal one hour car trip still took about two hours via the back roads through Balan and Seotan-myeon. Traffic jam leading to Seoul Traffic jam leading to Seoul When we got home, it was boring. Everything was closed. On Monday, no one wanted to go on a picnic so just stayed at home. The option of going to the BX to do some shopping was out as well. In the evening, I went out to dinner with the daughter as the wife was hiking with "Grandma" from the next apartment complex. We went to a Japanese restaurant down on Seojong Tourism Road (City Hall Road) as all the other sushi restaurants were closed. The fare was so-so and I wasn't all that impressed. The sushi was just adequate because the vinegared rice was a little too dry. I wasn't all that impressed. They had the ryonkyo (pickled leeks) and wasabi, but they were missing the red ginger. Price for two was 22,000 won so it wasn't that bad.   (L) Boram on outside stairs of Lotte Cinema (R) Seojong Tourism Road with Songtan City Hall (pink bldg) at end of street (15 Sep 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Then went to a movie at the newly reopened (6 Sep) Lotte Cinema, a multiplex theatre. Daughter wanted to see the musical "Mama Mia" -- and I enjoyed it despite the fact that the older actors were more comedy characters actors than musical stage performers. Of course, I'm a fan of Meryl Streep and James Bronson from way back. The music of course was from my era(s) so that helped as well. This was Greatest Hits album of ABBA. The movie is based on the London stage hit that went worldwide in 2001 and was a smash hit of Broadway. The plot was ridiculous, but the scenery in the Agean Sea was fantastic -- what a beautiful place. The most ridiculous was a Protestant priest in GREECE to marry the two star-crossed lovers who were split apart 20 years before -- don't quibble on the time as it is more like thirty years or more. Anyway, who doesn't love a happy ending. Loved it...but I also have ABBA's Golden Hits music on the shelf as well. Surprisingly, one of my students said he and his father fell asleep in the movie. Only his mother stayed away. Oh well, no telling for Korean tastes -- but the song Gimme, gimme, gimme is a top hit on the Korea pop charts. Old fab songs never die, they're just reinvented.   New Lotte Cinema (15 Sep 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan)   New Lotte Cinema (15 Sep 2008) (Kalani O'Sullivan) Voter Registration (20 Sep 2008) In Aug 2008, I had tried to contact the base voting officer to get a mailing address for the absentee ballot form I got off the internet, but he/she was always out of the office and the phone rang off the hook. I wrote to Republicans Abroad to get the mailing address and they replied back with an address for Hawaii. Anyway, Andy Jackson of Republicans Abroad wrote back about having a voter registration at Shinjang Mall if possible and I volunteered to help. It will be a non-partisan affair as he registers both Republicans and Democrats. Main thing is to get people out to vote. Told Andy that I had some equipment that could be used and I checked with Kasey Lee at the Mall and it's first-come, first-served on the space. I have a plastic foldable camp picnic table and three canvas camp chairs to use. Have a fishing umbrella (42") to serve as shade. Also have a cooler with some ice packs and some Cokes and water. Also Andy asked to make up some signs, but it was too short a notice. Instead, I went to a banner shop and made up two cloth 3' x 1 1/2' banners. These worked out beautifully. Went to the base Public Affairs to see if we could put advertising on the Commander's Channel on base -- with the approval of the base voting officer. Posted some posters at the VFW on Shinjang Mall -- and my buddy at the pirated DVD stand also put one sign up in his tent. Got to the Mall at about 10:15 and set up the tables and chairs and it was kind of funny as the merchant wanted me to move up -- then another one said to move down a bit because of motorcycle parking. It was kind of humorous as I already knew it was first come first-served, but I didn't want any hassles. My AIG insurance agent stopped by and explained to the merchants what I was doing -- that I was not a competitor for sales -- and everyone left me alone. Set it up under the entrance shelter and it would prove to be a good move as it would later start to rain. The picnic table and chairs were perfect for the job.     Voter Registration at Shinjang Mall: Andy Jackson (plaid shirt), Kurt Mahoy (flag T-shirt) and Kalani O'Sullivan (Kalani O'Sullivan) (20 Sep 2008) Andy Jackson and Kurt Mohay showed up to handle the registration. Andy is a teacher at a college in Ansan and Kurt is a hagwon teacher in Seoul. The two have been at it a while and were pros at getting people to stop and register. I just couldn't get the hang of asking people to stop to register as I'm not one of those outgoing types. Thus I just stood around and chatted with them on all kinds of topics during lulls. At first it was cloudy and then -- bad news -- it started to drizzle and then pour at about 1pm. It looked like it was going to be a washout. Bought a McDonald's hamburger for lunch because Miss Kim's burgers wasn't open on the mall -- I assume because of the rain. The table was to be manned from 11:00-16:00 at the entrance to Shinjang Mall, but Andy decided to call it quits about 3pm. At first people were reluctant to stop, but soon there were some that did stop and register. Andy had said earlier that he would be glad if they made their quota of two dozen -- and I believe they made it just barely. At 3:30 packed up and dropped the folks at Songtan Station. Andy stated that he would like to do this again on 11 Oct for the air show -- last minute get out to vote effort. We'll see what's happening then before I commit.  October 2008Osan AB Air Power Day Air Show (11-12 Oct 2008) I volunteered because of the plans to be OUTSIDE the gate and they would need my picnic table and chairs. Plans changed and it was moved inside to the airshow. (FOR PHOTOS OF THE AIRSHOW: GO TO THE OSAN AB SECTION OF THIS PAGE)From the git-go this turned out to be a "goat rope." When I showed up Andy Jackson was still arriving and he got caught in the mass crowd coming in the gates. He finally arrived around 10:00, there was no tent and table reserved. WHOOPS!!! He called Major Hubble who supposed to be in charge and basically he said go find somebody to share a table with you. Then Andy said that the Embassy did not have any Federal Write-in Ballots in time so he needed some from the Assistant Base Voting Officer -- but I never saw him in the two days I was there. It was assured we were going to run out of forms real fast. But without a tent or table, setting up was going to be a disaster. Walked around and spotted a Marine pilot at a table near his FA-18 Hornet with space. Asked if we could share the table and he graciously said ok. The bad thing was the location was way at the end next to the porta-potties and there was very little traffic. The other thing bad about the location was that it was right next to the loudspeakers which gave me a headache after a while. Not a very good spot. To make matters worse, Andy announced that he had to catch a plane to Guam so he would NOT be there all day. YIPES...so much for having an expert on hand to handle the questions. Instead he promised that another volunteer, Bob Gilbert, was fully versed on the procedures, so he could handle it. Well....that wasn't quite true. Bob Gillbert was the same as me ... just got a 15 minute-brief and then here he was. Wasn't a big deal because the poor location meant that not many folks showed up. Bob split at 3:00 and I stuck around till closing. At the last minute some hagwon teachers from Suwon showed up and I helped them with a write-in ballot and mailing their stuff. I also helped the Marine pilot with a write-in ballot as well. Getting back was a long walk to the BX -- and those voting manuals and forms get heavy after a while. At the BX, I stopped at the food court to get a mediocre-to-awful Philly steak sandwich, then caught a taxi back to where I parked the car on Jaeyok Road. Before going home, I dropped by my favorite pirated-DVD shop and picked a few of the latest drivel. Was surprised when he gave me a new copy of the Hulk for free because the last one was too dark. Finally got home at about 6 pm and crashed.   (L) Andy Jackson (R) Tent next to F18 Tomcat (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)   (L) Bob Gillbert (R) Kalani O'Sullivan (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008)  Kalani O'Sullivan with Marine FA-18 pilot (Kalani O'Sullivan) (11 Oct 2008) The next day on 12 Oct, it was the same thing. The Marine pilot was going to be gone -- along with the tent space. This meant we were on our own. Decided it would be best to use my tables and chairs and carry them on base. Though not the best of solutions, it was the only one available, given the circumstances. Called Kurt Mahoy and clued him in on what to look forward to. He arrived in Songtan a little after 10 am -- and the "goat rope"began. He got on the bus from Songtan Station that took the folks to the Doolittle Gate. Drove down and picked Kurt up at the Doolittle Gate and parked down behind Shinjang Mall. Carried the junk down to the Main Gate and it was not a big deal to gain entrance as we were on the vendors list for entry. Caught a base taxi to the entrance gate and had no problem getting in. Set up at the center of the area which was ideal. Where we set up was right next to the tent where the Korean-American Friendship Association tent. There was no wind so it was perfect with the table and umbrella. We also had a clear view of the airshow and unlike the day before -- we were away from the blaring loudspeakers that gave me a headache the day before. The location was ideal to watch the airshow and the wind wasn't blowing so it made it a nice day. Didn't do a great deal of business, but it was a lot more than the previous day. Registered about 22 people -- and gave voter information for Federal Write-in ballots to about 50 people because we ran out of the write-in ballots. Sadly, a lot of folks stopped by when we were busy with others and said they would stop by later -- but never did. At the end, getting out was a bit of a hassle as they wouldn't let us back into the base because of Kurt -- and said to walk out the Doolittle gate. Leave it to the butter-bar lieutenant to make a decision. Didn't fight it and headed back to the vendors gate which wasn't open yet. We had to walk all the way back hauling my picnic table, chairs and umbrella along with the voting materials. Talked to the Captain there and he let us enter. Atleast he listened to logic. Finally got a taxi at the BX and back to the mall parking where I left the car. Took Kurt to the Songtan Station and it was an end to a frustrating day. Regardless, I still felt good about doing it. This was an interesting experience and definitely worthwhile, but I think I'll pass the next time -- or join a more organized group.  Promotes the "fear" factor over Obama association with terrorists and blaming D |
