Liquor in U.S. Military Base Is Stolen through Underground Tunnel

Dong -A Ilbo Daily News (Seoul) in English ^ | 4 September 2003 | Dong-A Ilbo Daily News (Seoul)

[AmericanInTokyo]

Liquor in U.S. Military Base Is Stolen through Underground Tunnel

SEPTEMBER 04, 2003 23:07 by Ji-Wan Cha ( cha@donga.com) [SEOUL, KOREA]

(S. Korean) Customs Office unearthed customs dodgers who smuggled out duty-free beer from U.S. military bases through an underground tunnel.

According to Seoul Customs, suspects, known as Lee (34) and Song (48), a Post Exchange manager, were arrested yesterday by the Seoul Prosecutors‘ Office. They were under suspicions of illegally trafficking 2 billion won-worth duty-free liquors out of U.S. military bases and distributing them in imported goods shops in traditional marketplaces in Seoul, which is a violation of Article 269 in the Customs law.

Seoul Customs is additionally investigating 28 carriers, middlemen, and vendors who conspired with the arrested for distribution routes and the smuggled items.

Seoul Customs said that the smugglers used Hannam Village in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul as a hideout. Hannam Village, which is managed by a subsidiary of Korea national Housing Corporation, is a residential complex for families of U.S. military officers who serve in Yongsan base of U.S. army. Lee, a suspect, rented a five-pyong shop at a corner of Hannam Village and ran a Korean pop-rice shop until November 2001. In the following month, he remodeled the place as a coffee shop, U-turn Espresso.

He began to dig an underground tunnel in June 2001 with a hoe and a military-use shovel during nighttime. After three-month work, the tunnel was 20 meter long to near the PX inventory container inside Hannam Village. Song also worked on drilling a hole on the floor of the container.

The underground tunnel is 1.5 meter deep from the coffee shop and 1.2 meter deep from the container floor. Beer has been trafficked on a rail, set up on the slanted underground tunnel.

It is known that 58,000 boxes of U.S. beer cans and 4,000 boxes of wines have been smuggled from June 2001 through June 25 of this year. This amounts to 250 truckloads with the vehicle capacity of 2.5 tons and 2 billion won in value. The illegally trafficked products were sold in Namdaemun and Dongdaemun markets via transportation managers and middlemen. Korea Customs Service estimated that the evaded tax would amount to 1.2 billion won and that the smugglers made 5,000 to 6,000 won out of a box of 24 bottles of beer. Yet, the suspects are reported to claim that the profit margin was no more than 1,000 won per box.

“Illegal trafficking in duty-free liquor has been a consistent problem, but it is the first case that the smugglers use an underground tunnel in delivering beer in large quantities”, said Oh, Tae-young, a chief investigator at Seoul Customs, adding, “Comprising customs officers of Korea and investigators of U.S. military in Korea, ROK-U.S. joint investigating team will heighten its alert.”

[AmericanInTokyo]

It's Miller Time. Komapsumnidda!

[boxerblues]

I know a few soldiers over there who are going to be p@ssed off that there liquor is missing!

[Leroy S. Mort]

Some things never change. A "Slicky Boy" crawled over an open transom and stole my wrist watch from a night stand not 12 inches from where I was sleeping back in the 70's. They've made theft into an art form.

[AmericanInTokyo]

just like the little 'cowboys' who would/could peel your rolex or rado right off your wrist in Cholon, RVN.

[bmwcyle]

My friend was in Korea in 1954. A local ran across the field to grab an engine block sitting at the motor pool. He picked it up and started running across the field. One of the GI's picked up his M-1 and dropped him at about 75 yards out. He run well with a V-8 block on his back but not fast enough.

[Petronski]

[mbynack]

So the military lost 250 truckloads of beer and wine before figuring it out?

[AmericanInTokyo]

bump

[oldironsides]

The ROK division was in Vietnam. The lined up at the American PX and cleaned it out. I mean they bought everything they could get their hands on (even the few female products) to be sold on the black market or sent to Korea for resale. They left little for anyone else.
The relatives back home were really good at sending packages. The Koreans could not get their hands on the mail.

[joesnuffy]

They are definitely a hazard to all pogues

[Steely Glint]

The ROK's in Vietnam were some of the bravest men I ever saw.

[AdmSmith]

North Korea still denies its involvement in the tunnel diggings. But it was revealed that the tunnel work had begun under the direct orders of Kim Il-sung.


http://www.koreascope.org/english/sub/2/nk10_9.htm

[boxerblues]

Im surprised the country does not collapse from all the tunnels under it

[OahuBreeze]

I'm glad it was only liquor and not SOF or wmd -- entrance is 100 meters from my house.