USFK's off-limits order deepens conflict in Pyeongtaek
Bar and shop owners in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, are up in arms over the U.S. Forces Korea’s off-limits policy. The USFK has blacklisted some bars in the area with off-limits orders, causing conflict with the owners. / Yonhap
By Hong Dam-young
Pyeongtaek is a small industrial city with a population of around 500,000. Its contribution to the nation’s economy is small; but the city’s importance in national security is immense, especially when it comes to the military alliance between South Korea and the United States.
Pyeongtaek has embraced the U.S. Army Garrison Camp Humphreys on its soil for many years. And under a relocation plan, more U.S. troops — the 8th Army headquarters and the 2nd Infantry Division — will move to the city by 2017, making Pyeongtaek a centerpiece of Seoul-Washington military ties.
All appears to be peaceful and harmonious there. But just beneath the surface of the relationship is growing anger toward the United States Forces Korea (USFK).
While massive construction work for the relocation is under way, the U.S. military in the region has been blamed for prejudice against local business owners and hurting their livelihoods with “off-limits” actions.
Two sides of off-limits
“Off-limits” is a direct order from the U.S. Army Commander that prohibits service members from entering certain areas because they are associated with illegal activities such as prostitution, underage drinking and sexual assaults. Any establishments that are reported to have been involved in such activities can be placed off-limits for violating “USFK Regulation 190-2 Policy” and the “Combating Prostitution and Trafficking in Persons (CTIP)” regulation.
“Installation commanders have the authority to put off-limits those establishments that engage in activities detrimental to readiness, good order and discipline,” says USFK Command Policy Letter 12 signed by former USFK commander General Curtis M. Scaparrotti in Oct. 2014.
The action apparently intends to protect service members from crime-conducive conditions and promote good discipline. The U.S. military also has a “zero-tolerance” policy for activities associated with prostitution and human trafficking.
But this well-intended regulation has been facing criticism from owners of off-post clubs and bars. They dismiss it as a one-sided policy that does not accommodate their opinion.
“The current off-limits restrictions clearly infringe on our sovereignty and autonomy,” an official surnamed Park, from the Pyeongtaek branch of the Korea Foreigner Tourist Facility Association (KFTFA), told The Korea Times.
Park said bars have been declared off-limits without warning. The regulation takes effect right after the owners receive a written notice from the U.S. military that explains the reasons for the ban. The owners are not provided with further evidence or details of what provoked the order.
In addition, there is no route to confirm the validity of incidents because “off-limits” are issued based on anecdotal evidence provided by service members or USFK military police.
This is why bar owners are calling it “absurd.”
“A bar named King Club was placed off-limits Feb. 19 for indications of prostitution, according to the notification. But the club was closed on the days in question, which I made clear,” Park said.
“Isn’t it ridiculous? How can prostitution occur in a club that is not even open?”
An association of bar owners in Pyeongtaek held a press conference at Pyeongtaek City Hall on June 7 to outline their problems. / Yonhap
Bar owners who receive off-limits notices are summoned to the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board (AFDCB) that is convened every three months. They get a chance to explain the incident and the board members — U.S. military officials — decide whether to remove the sanction. If the bar is perceived unsafe even after the off-limits action, the owners have no choice but to shut down until the next AFDCB session under extended sanction, Park said.
To counter excessive off-limits notices from Camp Humphreys, an association of local bar owners held a press conference at Pyeongtaek City Hall June 7 to outline their problems.
In April, Pyeongtaek officials also sent an official request to the commander. It asked that an AFDCB be held before the issuing of an off-limits notice to spell out the exact period of sanction, and to ease undercover crackdowns.
But there has been no official answer from Camp Humphreys, said an official from the ROK-US Cooperation Bureau of Pyeongtaek City Hall.
Nine out of 12 off-post bars near Camp Humphreys have been placed off-limits since April 2015, and three are still under the sanction.
“We are not completely rejecting off-limits. We accept it, only if there is clear, objective evidence,” said Park.
USFK will stick to the policy
The U.S. military does not share the same view. But it does agree that the primary objective of off-limits is to root out any chance of prostitution within the region and keep service members away from it.
“I understand that the regulation is not welcomed by the bar owners, but the most important goal is to fight prostitution, don’t you think?” said an official surnamed Yu from Camp Humphreys Public Affairs Office when contacted by The Korea Times.
In principle, the USFK is supposed to place an off-limits notice as soon as it receives reports, based on its zero-tolerance policy for prostitution and human trafficking.
Yu said it was not necessary to give the owners time to review the incident, when illegal activities are clearly taking place. It is the best action they can take to promote mutual safety within the region and the USFK.
He also emphasized off-limits are given only after several warnings.
“The reports about illegal activities didn’t come from nowhere. The USFK will stick to the policy and keep our efforts to combat illegal activities,” he said.
A former military policeman from Camp Humphreys, who patrolled the bar district, agreed saying: “We issue warnings before placing bars off-limits. If there isn’t any improvement and we keep hearing reports about indecent activities going on in the bar, then we issue off-limits as a final step.”
He said many female employees brought in from the Philippines on entertainer visas to work in the bars are known to have been involved in prostitution to pay off their debts.
“I had seen plenty of illegal activities going on around the entertainment district near the base as a patrol officer,” he said. “Off-limits are given not only as a punitive measure, but also to give them time to reorganize their bar policies so they don’t face the same problem again.”
The command’s policy letter of October 2014 also states: “[Bar girls] are subjected to debt bondage and made to sell themselves as companions, or forced into prostitution.”
Streets are empty, with off-post clubs and bars closed due to “off-limit” action. / Courtesy of the Korea Foreigner Tourist Facility Association (KFTFA)
Mutual effort is the answer
While both sides still haven’t found a meeting point, some suggested a need to cooperate in making decisions on placing establishment off-limits.
Pyeongtaek Mayor Kong Jae-kwang emphasized mutual efforts to set conditions where the two sides can cooperate. He also called the present off-limits action “problematic.”
“We understand that the USFK inevitably needs off-limits action to defend their families and military personnel from crime-conductive conditions, given that a large number of military personnel will have moved into Camp Humphreys by the end of the relocation,” Kong said.
“But the USFK should find a way to communicate with Pyeongtaek, respect domestic rules and listen to their voices, and bar owners should also make efforts to improve security within the entertainment district.”
A professor from the Department of Security at Pyeongtaek University said: “Establishing an organization that has an equal number of members from both sides and letting it control the off-limits establishments could be one solution.”
Although holding protests as a last option was mentioned at the previous press conference, it appears there is no immediate plan for protests or rallies. And Park also agrees that this is not the best option.
Representing bar owners, Park of the KFTFA plans to step up his efforts to restrict illegal activities around the bars. Any employees accused of prostitution will be fired and he will educate every one of them to be aware of the no-prostitution policy. He hopes his plans to make amends with the U.S. military pays off.
“As a head, I always tell bar workers to try to check one more ID card of customers instead of trying to sell one more glass of alcohol,” Park said. “The USFK has always been our companions and friends. I hope the relationship does not deteriorate.”