The Marmot’s Hole

Let’s start at the Hankyoreh, where they are bitching up a storm about Korea getting saddled with the entire cost of the base move AND the failure of the Korean side to win the right check how those evil Yankee bastards spend their [the Koreans'] money as they build new facilities south of Ye Olde Han:

During these talks, the Korean side requested that they be able to minutely check how the Americans spent the money provided to them by the Koreans, but the Americans responded by saying that they cannot make public the particulars of how they spend the money, failing to draw up a basic agreement to replace the MOA and MOU signed in 1990.

It is known that the Americans also refused to accept the Korean request that in building American military facilities and other things, the Americans procure parts and goods from Korea whenever it is possible.

One government official familiar with the Yongsan negotiations said, “I know that the Korean government, at the last moment, asked for control of base move expenditures and a presented a plan to build American military facilities using a “turn key” approach (whatever the hell that means), but the Americans criticized this, saying that it was “adding more stuff [to the negotiations] way too late,” and “for this, the responsibility also rests with the Korean government, which was hung up on the issue of keeping some Americans in Seoul and, in fact, overlooked details.” A diplomatic source, who asked not to be named, said, “in case the Korean government is to pay the entire cost of the base move without winning the right to check the particulars of American spending, and Korean goods are not used in procurements, we will be confronted by criticism that more inequalities have entered the Korea-U.S. relationship,” and “since the negotiating team dealt with the offending articles in a vague way, it brought upon itself a problem where both the U.S. and Korean sides may interpret the agreement differently.”

A Ministry of Defense official said, “If we are paying for the building of USFK facilities without being able to check how the money is being spent, it will be difficult for the citizens to understand,” and “We entered the conference room this time with the goal of completely settling on an agreement on the Yongsan Garrison move, but because of this problem, we couldn’t help but postpone it for next time.”

Next time? I thought we had a deal here. What I’m seeing here is the Korean government failing to get what it wanted at the bargaining table (not surprising, since it basically had two choices — pay up or watch USFK walk), and then send nameless officials to bitch in the Hankyoreh about what a crappy (and “unequal”) deal they’ve been handed. Clearly, the “deal” to move Yongsan is not a “deal” — it’s a work in progress, or at least that’s how it’s being seen by the Korean government.

And you thought the North Koreans were tough to bargain with. It’s times like these that remind me that all the “we are one people” bullshit really is true. Keep in mind, I agree that the Koreans should be able to see how their money is being spent — or, at least, ordinarily I’d agree — but if the Korean side is going to conduct independent diplomacy play hardball with a weak hand, this is what it gets.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the political spectrum (in one of those lovely Left-Right gangbangs aimed to keep USFK right were it is), you have the GNP saying that they will shoot down the proposal to move Yongsan once it reaches the National Assembly:

A legion of 133 lawmakers, most from the Grand National Party (GNP), announced a joint statement on Sunday opposing the relocation of U.S. troops in Yongsan. In addition to the enormous costs needed to fill in the gap left in the nation?��s defenses, they said that it would harm national security and the economy. Moreover, the opposing lawmakers said that they would block the proposal in the National Assembly.

In the statement, the lawmakers pointed out that proposal for the withdrawal of troops shows the Roh Administration’s anti-American sentiment and the administration’s growing insensibility toward national security. The statement also said Roh disregarded public opinion when he concluded that trusting in the benefit of the UN Command?��s Seoul presence is an outdated idea, even before trying to negotiate the matter of a relocation.

Never has such a logical idea run into such strident opposition. Never mind that the GNP is the party that signed the Yongsan accords back in 1990 — what’s an agreement that could do so much good for BOTH countries when domestic politics are at stake!

Meanwhile, residents in the P’yeongtaek-Osan area, to where the Yongsan Garrison will be moved, are apparently receiving this news with mixed feelings. I WAS going to translate a piece from the Hankyoreh about this, but then I noticed, the Korea Times already did it for me! (Note: I really hope the Hani knows about this, because this piece was clearly ripped off from them. Hey, at least I link when I steal stuff!):

“The decision to relocate U.S. troops to Pyongtaek should be regarded as null and void because it was made unilaterally without gauging residents’ opinions,” said Kang Sang-won, an executive member of a civic group opposing U.S. plans to consolidate its troops in Pyeongtaek.

Kang said the group will step up efforts to have the plan cancelled as it includes moving the headquarters of the United Nations command and the South Korea-U.S. combined forces command to the city.

“It means people will lose more land to them, so more people will join our movement to oppose the plan,” he said. “The relocation will derail city plans to develop the Pyongtaek Port.”

Apparently, however, some folks are happy to see [more] bignosers around:

But local business people welcomed the consolidation of the U.S. troops in the city, expecting it to generate more sales for them.

“This is what we have wanted and it is a good thing,” said Lee Gyeong-chu, president of the Songtan Business Association. “It will help Pyongtaek’s economy as Itaewon benefited from the Yongsan base.”

According to a poll of 1,000 Pyongtaek citizens conducted in December, 53 percent opposed the U.S. troops’ move to the city, while 37.8 percent supported it, with 9.2 percent expressing no preference.

You know, when I was living in Mungyeong (as far out in the sticks as possible), a sister of a friend of mine who had recently visited P’yeongtaek described the harrowing experience (remember, she was from Mungyeong) as “similar to visiting a foreign country.”

Anyway, more on this crap later…

PS: The pic of Yongsan is ripped off from the Chosun Ilbo. It never ceases to amaze me who you can have such a slice of American suburbia right in the heart of Seoul.