Project to trace Yongsan's legacy

Yongsan Legacy contributor John Nowell, left, flips through a photo album with Jackie Park in the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Snack Bar on Camp Coiner in Yongsan Garrison, Seoul. Nowell moved to Korea in 1965 and has worked in community relations and public affairs for the USFK Yongsan command before retiring. Park, after auditioning, first performed on Yongsan for the 1959 Spring Variety Show. He and his bandmate Shin Jung-hyeon later found success in Korea’s local music scene. / Courtesy of Coco Cugat

By Jon Dunbar

Hartell House, the main officer’s club inside Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul, closes its doors for the last time next Wednesday. The single-story building, first constructed in 1912 for the Japanese before U.S. forces took over in 1945, is shutting down in line with the large-scale plan to relocate most of the garrison south to Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, returning the land to Korea after more than a century in foreign hands.

This unprecedented move will change the face of Seoul and end a complex historic era. But while many Koreans may be happy to see it go, Daniel Oh and Coco Cugat hurry to record the garrison’s history before it’s all gone.

The husband and wife founded Yongsan Legacy, a virtual monument welcoming stories, photos and memories of the place, people and events. They are currently awaiting designation as a nonprofit organization. They work with volunteer historians tracing all manner of cultural exchanges, including food, music, fashion and art.

“Through these stories and photos, Yongsan Legacy hopes to reveal the significance of the Yongsan Garrison and Yongsan area,” said Daniel Oh, an assistant professor of Korea University’s architecture department.

“The magnitude of Yongsan Garrison’s influence on the development of modern South Korea is remarkable and deserves to be recognized; from fashion to K-pop, from friendships to families, from history to ghost stories, Yongsan Garrison offers a unique perspective in understanding Korea today.”

Their current plan is to gather information, which will later form a foundation for endeavors by artists, writers, video game programmers and designers, which he hopes will inspire the architects of Yongsan’s future.

Currently, the city plans to create a massive urban park on the soon-to-be vacated land, demolishing more than 90 percent of the 1,000 existing structures. But Oh urges people to see beyond the physical walls and political barriers to find the base’s true historic cultural value.

“Almost 70 years of Seoul’s rapid growth completely encapsulated the garrison making it an urban archaeological site,” Oh said. “To many Seoulites, Yongsan Garrison is a black hole sitting in the middle of a megalopolis. Because it was an active military base, everything had to be kept secret.”

For seven decades, U.S. military personnel and their families have transformed the base into a microcosm of America, with U.S.-style housing, stores, restaurants, even schools. According to Oh, between 60 and 70 percent of those who’ve worked on base are Korean, and Yongsan Garrison’s influence trickled out into the surrounding city through countless channels.

For instance, hundreds of Korean musicians in the 1960s auditioned for the American Forces Korea Network (AFKN) to perform on base, many going on to become Korea’s first music superstars. Koreans started many businesses catering to U.S. personnel, selling everything from bottled water and haircuts to artistic portraits and fashion items.

“For outsiders, Yongsan Garrison offers an opportunity to see the remarkable progress that Koreans have made since Japanese colonial times,” Oh said, “and for Korean nationals, the base provides a chance to pause and reflect on their past and appreciate the present day.”

Next Monday at 5 p.m., Yongsan Legacy will start its talk series at USO headquarters on Camp Kim, inviting veterans and civilians who served, worked or lived on Yongsan to share their stories. The first speaker is John Nowell, who moved to Korea in 1965 and has worked in community relations and public affairs for USFK Yongsan Command.

Visit yongsanlegacy.org to learn more or to add your own memories to the records.