I’m about to run to class, but here’s something out of the Korea Times that might be reason to cheer:
All US Forces to Leave Seoul
The South Korean government has reached an internal consensus to agree with the U.S. plan to move the headquarters of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the United Nations Command (UNC) out of Yongsan, senior government officials said on Wednesday.
No official announcement has been made, however.
The internal decision comes after the two sides failed to finalize a garrison relocation plan due to differences over the size of the land that would continue to be occupied by U.S. forces in the Yongsan area.
There’s more, and I still need to go through all the Korean-language crap on this to see what’s what, but my initial feeling on this is, like Rummy said about Korea’s Iraq dispatch, that I’ll wait until the official announcement.
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RE: “wait until the official announcement.”
And then some.
ps: My understanding was always that at least Korea wanted the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the United Nations Command (UNC) to remain @ Yongsan even after everthing got moved elsewhere, since Yongsan is also home to the Ministry of National Defense and it’d be good to have them remain as neighbors.
What will happen to the Dragon Hill hotel? Who would get the development rights to the land once it is vacated? I was stationed in Yongsan in ‘95-’96, it was a great little slice of America smack dab in the middle of Seoul.
as to what finlay brings up…i would think that it’d set off an orgy of greed, speculation and general debauchery. i mean the koreans can’t sell a rice paddy without flipping it half a dozen times and paying off the crew in yeoido as often, what the hell will they do when several hundred acres of the most valuable land in the world suddenly becomes available for development?
I think Washington should keep the land, build an American university, and transfer the schools and hospital. Then, recruit all the students South Korea rejects and give them a world-class education and a visa on graduation.
The older generation Koreans realize how important it is to have Americans stationed in Korea. I will always be for US troops staying in Korea even in Yongsan. Yongsan gives so many jobs to Koreans not only on post but off post as well. When and if Yongsan moves a lot of Koreans will be out of jobs. Don’t believe all the negative news the Korean media says about the US military.
The Korean news sells a lot of propaganda stories about the US military because they know people love hearing it, especially younger generations who aren’t aware of the great sacrifices made by both the Korean and American soldier fighting side by side for Korea’s independence.
There is no reason to cheer about US forces leaving Yongsan. The military people can always work somewhere else, what about the Koreans who have businesses on or around Yongsan? It’s easy to cheer when you’ve only heard one view (Korean media).
Jer, I don’t believe most of the crap the Korean media publishes about USFK either (OK, let me put that a different way - I object to the way in which they report incidents involving USFK personnel). However, the US military is NOT an international job creation program. The role that it plays in South Korea can easily be assumed by the South Koreans, and its continued presence on the peninsula is not only a burden on the US taxpayer and an unnecessary security commitment, but it encourages South Korean leaders (and the electorate the votes for them) to take exceedingly naive views of how the world works (example: North Korea). Seoul needs a taste of reality, and it’s not going to get one with the 2nd Infantry Division holding the line at the DMZ.
Moreover, the move out of Seoul can do nothing but good - no country likes to have foreign military personnel stationed right in the heart of its capital, the American presense in Seoul makes the city an even bigger target than it already is, and having all those American soldiers smack in the middle of 11 million people creates too many chances for incidents to occur. Yeah, there are going to be people who are going to lose jobs (on the other hand, there are going to be new jobs created IF the government is smart about it), but to be frank, where were all these people last winter when the anti-American hate rallies were going on? They took the American presence for granted, and to be blunt, this is what they get for dong so.
And as for the crooks, er, sorry, people with businesses around the base, we’ll all be better off without them. Itaewon could even become a pleasant place. (???)
To Jer,
I’m sure it must be hard for Koreans who see the need
for US troops and have some respect for the past relationship
to see the anti-US civic groups and media seeming “winning”
when something like the Yongsan relocation happens.
But one thing I disagree with you about is that “just the
media” believes in the propaganda it prints.
I have taught many, many, many Korean adults over the years,
and with the exception of only two or three bad men, I liked
my students very much. They were nice, thoughtful, interesting
people.
BUT…they also shared the same basic ideas about the nature of
USFK and the US-SK relationship I read in the news and
heard from the radical anti-US civic groups.
I did find this was not the case for the Koreans above
age 60 or 65. But the anti-USFK culture in Korea is
very strong in Koreans below the age of 65, even if they
still want to keep US troops in Korea.
As for the jobs, I have some sympathy for the workers who
will lose their jobs, but much less for the business
owners. They have made their money and should more on.
Business is a risk. And as someone else wrote, many jobs
and business opportunities will be created with the
relocation.
But, Korea should start preparing its economy and military
for the day USFK leaves, because it seems clear we are heading
in that direction. I would say it is a 60/40 percent chance
USFK will not be in Korea 15 years from now.
I know a woman who works for a US contrator on post, even she thinks the US is here to plunder and she is on the dole. Pull it out in 15 months, not years. This country is past due to stand on its own two feet.