Hate to a public affairs officer for USFK this week. Christ, at this rate, USFK personnel may soon give English teachers a run for their money. First, we have this assortment of bad news, via the Lost Nomad. Then we have some less-than-spectacular driving over the weekend with one drunken hit-and-run and a GI-initiated seven car pile-up. It’s like Grand Theft Auto: Seoul. Finishing up a truly remarkable run, we have some MPs down in Osan doing their best impression of the Mafia (or the Korean police) by shaking down “entertainment establishments” outside Osan AB for valuables, booze and free nookie with newly arrived foreign women. Would have been bad enough even without MBC running a Saturday evening program on it.
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27 Comments
Nomad,
Even crazier than guys who bring cars from the states is nuts who buy new cars over here.
LOL
Actually, I’ve gone 11 months so far without a scratch or ding from a Korean; only hooptie-driving USFK personnel. Oops, I take it back…I was rear-ended by a Korean taxi at a red light (go figure) on Namsan, but no damage to me resulted.
“USFK Shaking Down Local Businesses: MBC”
Looks like some USFK guys are learning well from the local cops.
Well, they may have to give up the free nookie now, wherever they’re going…
funny they took cars away from e-5’s and e-6’s
hahaahahahhaaa
laporte takes the cake for lunacy!
Mcnut’s right. GEN LaPorte should have taken cars away from E-7 and below. However, this goes for all ranks…many think that they can play bumper-cars at the Circus every day because they’re driving hoopties.
By the way, it should come as no surprise that chaos theory takes effect for USFK following RSOI/Foal Eagle and UFL every year.
Mark,
I agree - With the parking problems on almost all bases here, there’s no reason for anyone single and living on base/post to have a car - regardless of rank. On most bases, they can walk anywhere they need to go, and if not, there’s plenty of free transportation. And if they need to go anywhere in Korea, there’s more than enough public transportation available without them adding to the mayhem and traffic congestion.
BTW, what is it with people bringing their V8 Mustangs and Corvettes over here? Or Ford Excursions and F250s? Then they bitch when they end up with dings and scratches. LOL…
Seven years in Korea and I never even once entertained having a car. Public transportation is convenient, cheap and excellent.
USFK has only themselves to blame for the MP extortion ring. American and Korean officials gave the MPs too much authority downtown, and naturally some abused that authority.
Luckily for USFK and anyone who might look American, Dokdo is the main hate issue this season, and hate is finite.
I agree there is no reason for a young single person to have a car with the efficient and cheap public transportation Korea has.
“Seven years in Korea and I never even once entertained having a car. Public transportation is convenient, cheap and excellent. ”
Oh no, no no no, never say such things! The USFK must have their cars, luxury apartments, cost of living allowances….We base our logic on the state department’s logic that everyone overseas must have everything they ever desired and then some. Now you just stop your nonsesne talk and go away!
If the public transportation on base were as convenient as it is off base, maybe a few more people would see the wisdom in not having a car here. But like so many other things on base, public buses are a lot like back in the US of A, which is to say that they suck.
non Korean,
You are right. This Dokdo is good for the U.S-Korean relationship. Koreans will be busy hating the Japanese this summer and anti-American sentiment will loose steam and may even disappear.
Koreans do change quickly sometimes. If someone gives you a trouble, just say ??????? ??????!
YOMO
I’m thinking of investing in a T-shirt that says ??????? ??????. I figure free taxis, food, and drinks if I wear the shirt out some Saturday night.
Hell, why waste your money on t-shirts? If a customer buys one shirt, their purchase is finished.
What you need to do is buy some cheap white pillow cases and paint a red circle in the middle, then sell them in front of the Japanese Embassy. One is never enough when the crowds are burning and shredding their way through dozens at a time.
You’ve got a lot of potential repeat customers just waiting for you to supply them with their needs.
got to have fingers in order to hand the cash over
he he he that was great Robert and Ziggy
“Actually, I??ve gone 11 months so far without a scratch or ding from a Korean; only hooptie-driving USFK personnel. Oops, I take it back??I was rear-ended by a Korean taxi at a red light (go figure) on Namsan, but no damage to me resulted”
And about the guy who was drunk and rear-ended. How sad is that? I guess he’s a newbie and didn’t realize all he had to do was take Ajoshee’s abuse and dish out 300,000W. Christ, why throw away a career like that? I actually feel for bad for the guy. That sucks. I hope he can get to retirement…. somehow.
“If the public transportation on base were as convenient as it is off base, maybe a few more people would see the wisdom in not having a car here. But like so many other things on base, public buses are a lot like back in the US of A, which is to say that they suck. ”
Yeah, you’re right.
My buddy said the best argument for having a car is the typical one hour wait with your groceries outside the Yongsan commissary. I have to admit, that buried my “Get Rid of POVs in Seoul” theory. Hopefully we can learn from all of this and create a better plan in the future.
Some interesting commentary on this issue going on over at Asia Pages, but I can’t hyperlink to it here because dashes aren’t allowed.
Hardyandtiny,
As far as the housing issue goes, I’m non-command sponsored with a wife and daughter here. All of our command sponsored slots in my office are taken by senior enlisted members who live in luxury, as you have stated. However, I looked at places closer to Yongsan, and they were the “hooptie” equivalent of housing; that’s why I chose Jung-gu. If I lived in luxury like those command sponsored field grades on south post, I wouldn’t need a car.
By the way, I read somewhere (Stars Stripes, I think) that the new command sponsored housing plans in Areas III and IV have two car garages for each family.
Mark, yep, the USFK created those hooptie equivalents when they moved everyone out and gave the soldiers the impression that they needed the best housing Seoul could offer.
I didn’t realize that USFK practices jus prima nocta. Despicable.
Just another reason to scrap the curfew, “off-limits” lists, and “town patrols.”
The problem is the rent allowance. You are a fool to not use the maximum you are allowed and live in a nice apartment. There is no penalty for doing so, there is no incentive to not do so. That is point one.
A Solution would be to work BAH just like the states, the soldier gets paid the full ammount, then quite a few would live closer to base, and pocket the difference.
Pavlov, you’re assuming that everyone is selfish.
LOL
I have a decent apartment, and I am saving the American taxpayers over $1,000 per month.
I don’t expect anyone else to follow my example, though. You’re right; there’s no materialistic incentive to do so.
Duty, Honor, Country. It doesn’t take 1 April to make a fool of me; I’m a daily fool!
Hardy,
I understand your point, and agree in part, but…
Part of the problem here w/ civlians and their housing allowances is that USFK has a shitload of jobs that are really tough to fill. I know of several that have sat vacant for more than three years now and have come up on the CPOC radar for decrimentation. The command is having a hissy fit because they have to use uniformed manpower to do these duties that should be done by civilians. Believe it or not it costs a lot more in many situations to have a sergeant do what a GS-12 could do. You lose the continuity and institutional memory of the civilian and the soldier is employed at tasks other than being a soldier.
Civilians don’t HAVE to come to Korea. The only way to get them here is to use incentives. One of those incentives is LQA. Yes, it’s a shitload of money, but it’s cheaper to the command than having slots sit vacant while PFC Snuffy on his one year tour trains up to do those duties, then takes midtour leave, then comes back and five months later starts outprocessing. Bitching and moaning about Korea the entire time, of course.
Don’t knock the LQA, and don’t blame this on the civilians. Hell, the soldiers who come here for these pussy tours not only get AIP bonuses, they get a bank full of COLA dollars too. In contrast, civilians get “Post Differential” whic comes out to about $140 a month.
LQA may look like a big sham, and I’m sure it’s subject to countless abuses, but according to a Taegu CPOC rep quoted in the USFK commnity newspaper about a year ago, these living quarters incentives save the US taxpayer something like 50 million dollars per year.
Seriously, if you are a GS-12 worker making 60k+ per year in Maryland or Colorado are you going to pack up your life, your kids, leave your current job, etc. and move over to Korea so you can live in Haebangchon with the Nigerian drug dealers, and then not even own a car?
Hell no.
And when your job sits empty year after year because USFK can’t even bribe people to fill it, the mission suffers.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents worth.
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