"This Is US Property - Get Off It" - US Military (South Korea)

Kimsoft on the Web (S/N Korea News) ^ | 22 June 2002 | Kimsoft Authors

[AmericanInTokyo]

Text of article: "On June 20 of this year, a large group of South Korean junior high school girls faced down a group of heavily armed American troops at the Garison Camp Red Cloud of the US 2nd Infantry Division, located Uijongbu a few miles north of Seoul. The young girls were marching in protest of two of their school mates crushed to death by the Americans.

Photo: Korean teens - "Let's drive out the US military"

Some 180 students of the Yijungbu Junior High School were joined by some 70 civic organizations. They held a protest rally in front of the American military base.

Photo: Some 60 heavily armed American soldiers faced the protest marchers. "This is our land - get off it!"

The marchers wanted to hand an open letter to the American commander of the base. The letter demanded the truth about the alleged accident and a public apology. The march was held exactly one week after Shin Hyo Soon and Sim Mi Sun, both students at the Sinyiju Junior High, were crushed to death by an American armored car while walking to a friend's birthday party. At about 17:10, seventy or so Korean civic activists gathered in front of the base, whereupon, the Americans closed the front gate shut. The activists claim that the Americans tried to silence them by bribing the victims' bereaved families with money. They also claim that the Americans spread a false rumor that the victims' families wanted more money. These actions of the Americans have angered the victims' families and their friends.

On the evening of the 19th, the Americans at the 2nd division camp held an unofficial briefing on the incident and 'proved' that the Americans did nothing wrong and that the dead girls were asking for it. They were being careless. The briefing officer showed charts and maps to buttress the American claim. The Korean activists were incensed at the American attempt to whitewash this tragic death of two young Korean girls and sprang into action. They formed a formal action group to (1) uncover the truth, (2) punish the guilty, (3) get public apology by the commander of the US troops in Korea and of the US ambassador in Korea, (4) ask for compensation to the bereaved families and (5) set up a memorial to the victims at the place where they were crushed to death by the Americans.

At about 18:30, the activists accompanied by several Korean news crews arrived at the American base and demanded to see the base commander. They were met inside the gate by a group of base employees in civilian cloth, who went into a shoving match with the protesters. The confrontation got intense and hostile and finally, Major Ono, in charge of civic affairs, came out to meet the activists. Ono told the angry protesters: "You are on an American property. Please get off it now and let's talk outside the gate". The crowd outside the gate calmed down somewhat by Ono's apparent willingness to talk things out.

Ono curtly stated that "You cannot see the base commander or the division commander or the 8th Army commander." The activists demanded that a responsible American officer sign for the open letter and guarantee that the letter will be delivered to the top American commander in Korea. This crafty Ono pretended that he would go along and continue the discussion outside the gate and the activists went along. As the they left the base, Major Ono disappeared and a unit of South Korean police herded the protesters off the base.

Ono's deception rubbed salts into the raw nerves of the protesters and they rushed 2-3 meters pass the gate and began to fight the base guards and the Korean police. Several of the Korean news crews were beaten up by the Americans.

At about 19:10, at least 180 students from the Yijungbu Junior High joined the marchers. The young teens shouted at the Korean police: "Police - you are Koreans, too and aren't you angry at the Americans for killing our friends? All we want is justice. Don't you live in our town and aren't you our neighbors, uncles and brothers?" The girls wept and shouted anti-American slogans and the crowd began to grow and more Korean police arrived. It was a tense moment - a powder keg about to blow. The Korean police was backed by more than sixty heavily armed Americans.

An armed KATUSA - Korean Augmentation to the US Army - defending the base told the protesters that he was just following the rule. Forty or so more Korean police showed up and threatened the protesters, but they stayed on and continued the protest. The girls sang arirang at the top of their lungs. One of their teachers said: "Until now I have told you to watch out for cars. I have not told you to watch put for American armored cars. I have never dreamed that a well-trained and controlled army would crush my students to death....".

As the teacher spoke, some of the Korean police rushed in and began to arrest those marchers still inside the camp. They were still trying to deliver the open letter. The crowd outside was even more enraged by the action of their own police and screamed at the police - "you hooligan police go away!". By 20:42, the Korean police managed to drag out all marchers off the base. Outside the gate, the marchers and the Korean police faced off.

A political leader spoke to the crowd: "We don't want to fight our police blocking our just march. We want to talk to an American representative and hear an American apology. The Korean police blocking us are our own brothers. You policemen, when you go home tonight, many of you will face your own sisters of Hyon Sun and Mi Sun's age. Why are you fighting us? We should fight the Americans together as brothers and sisters and make sure that no more young Korean girls like Hyon Sun and Mi Sun are killed by the Americans."

The girls repeated his word by word loudly amidst weeping. The politician then told the crowd to go home to fight another day. The girls sang "Our wish is unified Korea.." as they left the scene. The protest that began at 17:00 finally ended at 20:55. The open letter was left undelivered and no American apology was heard that day. The marchers plan to mount a large scale march at a later date.

Curiously few of the Korean news media have reported on the death of two young Korean girls by the Americans. No radio, no TV, no major news on this incident. There have been many incidents like this in the Yijungbu and Paju regions where major American bases are located. Americans in training exercises have trashed farm crops, damaged roads, blocked traffic for hours. More than 400 vehicular violations by American troops in Korea are reported each year, which accounts for 60-70% of crimes by the US military in Korea. Yet only ten cases have been brought to the court of law to date.

The Americans held a mock memorial service for the dead girls and raised a few bucks for the bereaved families. What is 'peace'? If we cannot live in peace in our own land because of the crimes committed by the Americans here in Korea, then there is no peace in Korea. The Americans say they are here to keep peace but the fact of the matter is that they are here to disturb the peace - they are here to ensure that we get no peace in Korea."

[AmericanInTokyo]

This was a follow up on the article posted last week on FR about the tragic accident in South Korea (who could imagine it was intentional?) and a certain irate local South Korean backlash, particularly from youth. Interesting article.

As I have heard it said, 'it ain't your grandfather's South Korea anymore", I suppose. At least that has been my growing impression what with all the loud booing the US team and cheering for any other foreign team which was a challenger to the US in the World Cup. Of course, on the other hand, on a person level, other examples of friendship also abound. One thing is true is really wild South Korean patriotism gone rampant in recent years; some of it fuses into anti-Americanism as well. Weird situation. I think what is strange is that even though the ROK organizations there in this demonstration probably came from the liberal side of things, the actual reporting of the incident in USA press has also been very low and I think few Americans even knew of the sad accident (girls crushed walking on the road by a tank). That, too, was interesting.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Commentary from the North Korean Propaganda machine:

Pyongyang, June 20 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary denounces GIs for driving an armored car over two South Korean schoolgirls, killing them. It goes on:
The history of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces' presence in South Korea is a blood-stained history of indiscriminate murder and plunder of South Koreans. The recent atrocity was one of the thrice-cursed crimes committed by the U.S. imperialists.
It is the unanimous will of all the Koreans bitterly critical of the GIs' crimes to force the U.S. imperialists to quit South Korea at once.
They should pay heed to the angry anti-U.S. voices of the Korean nation and apologize to it for all crimes committed in South Korea.
The Korean nation will certainly drive the U.S. imperialists out of this land, give vent to the pent-up grudge and force them to pay a thousand-fold price for the blood shed by Koreans.

Pyongyang, June 21 (KCNA) -- The "All-People Council for National Reconciliation and Cooperation" in South Korea reportedly released a statement on June 15, condemning the U.S. troops for driving an armored car over two South Koran school girls to death. The statement said:
The crime was committed by the brutality of U.S. troops considering lives of the Korean people to be ephemeral as many atrocities were committed by U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
The murder was deliberately committed. But the U.S. military side asserted that the victims were to blame for the accident. Its assertion is the crime of killing the schoolgirls twice and driving a nail in the breast of the bereaved families.
Such atrocity and arrogance of the u.s. troops are attributable to the unequal South Korea-U.S. "status of forces agreement," whose total revision was called for.
The statement strongly demanded that the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea stop making a mockery of the bereaved families and representatives of public organizations any longer and kneel down to apologize to the people.

Pyongyang, June 26 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary says that the recent murder of two schoolgirls by the U.S. imperialist aggression troops is a continuation of the man-hunting committed by them in South Korea without a let-up for scores of years. Driving an armored car over the young girls, killing them, can be perpetrated only by the GIS steeped in the extreme misanthropy and trained in man-hunting. Recalling that all acts of murder committed by the U.S. imperialists so far have been described as "accidental" and "something done by accidental mistake," the commentary blasts the U.S. military authorities present in South Korea for trying to gloss over the recent case as a "simple traffic accident" and "a thing that may possibly happen".
The commentary continues:
It is the U.S.-South Korea "status of forces agreement" that encourages the U.S. military authorities present in South Korea to do such shameless acts of shifting the responsibility for the murder onto victims just like a thief crying "stop the thief". On the strength of this shackling and unequal agreement the U.S. imperialist aggression troops are killing people, robbing them and raping women as they please, lording it over in South Korea.
As long as the U.S. imperialist aggression troops remain in South Korea the South Koreans can neither live in peace even a moment nor escape pain, misfortune and disaster.

[TADSLOS]

Narrow Korean roads and ignorant Korean pedestrians are more of the problem. Perhaps they would rather have North Korean "armored cars" crush them to death...

[AmericanInTokyo]

I'd like to ask them. I would be their answer would be they want 'neither'.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Thanks. I had caught that one as well. I think Reuters carried the story but it was pretty much not carried in the US due to lack of interest or whatever.

[AmericanInTokyo]

On the other hand, the DPRK is out of their 'friggin' skulls if they think this was not an 'accident'.

[ppaul]

"You are on an American property. Please get off it now and let's talk outside the gate".

Damn straight!
American blood paid for it.

55,000 Americans killed in action in Korean War.

[lesko]

I was an MP stationed in Camp Stanley and occasionally drove through Oijunbu - including CRC. What an experience driving in that country!

[Tennessee_Bob]

The North Koreans would like nothing more than to get into the South, to get to the companies, corporations and banks that have given the South Koreans the way of life that they currently enjoy.

It seems to me that the young South Koreans have no idea what life would be like under the "kind and loving" rule of the North. While the handover of Hong Kong to the communists may have gone fairly peacefully, I doubt "reunification" of North and South Korea would be anything like that. More like a starving dog in the chicken coop. A few months of that, and the young South Koreans, so bent on reunification, would be screaming for the American military to come back in.

[AmericanInTokyo]

What is sad is that probably none of that is understood or appreciated, and goes right past the young person of Korea in 2002. Right in one ear and out the other. Zero resonance. It's nice to be appreciated isn't it?

[zarf]

I'd be more than happy to walk away from Korea and let the yellow ones live in happy slavery under a N Korean regime.

Unfortunately over 50,000 Americans have died "protecting" these little whiners, so we're there for the long haul. These ladies should go back to binding their little feet, cooking, cleaning an serving their husbands.

[AmericanInTokyo]

The older Koreans who appreciate your points are dying off by the day. In their 60s and 70s, they actually lived under the DPRK rule when battle lines and occupations shifted back and forth.

But the younger kids? We are talking may 30-40% of the Republic of Korea population? Doesn't ring a bell. In 10 years from now, the 'appreciation index' and the 'memory index' will be down even more, IMHO. But, we are the saviors of the word and must insist on staying in places where we are not appreciated, even if it is for the good of those we protect.

[Iwentsouth]

I say we let Japan rearm...and let them protect the Koreans. They treated the Koreans so well during there occupation. Much better then us Americans.

sad to see an accident lke this taking the life of two little girls. Sadder still to see how it seems Koreans like to use it to condemn a whole country.

[PsyOp]

The Americans say they are here to keep peace but the fact of the matter is that they are here to disturb the peace - they are here to ensure that we get no peace in Korea.

Time to pack up and bring the boys and girls home to the "Land of the big PX." Let see what these little chickies have to say when they are being "protected" by North Korean soldiers. What a suprise they'll get when they gather to protest in front of them!

All Bush would have to do is announce that plans are underway to start withdrawing troops and this crapola would go away overnight.

I was stationed in Germany when all the hoopla over the Pershing Missles was going on. One fine day Reagan told the German Govt that he was going to start withdrawing US forces from West Germany. The protests stopped overnight and the Germans couldn't get those damn Pershings in country fast enough.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I think the feeling in those towns is probably just putting up with us, even though they don't have any affinity for Pyongyang. Probably similar to the feelings in Okinawa towards our guys. They (that is to say a clear majority) want us out. Their plebiscites prove it. Maybe they should plebiscite these people and we can politely use it as a face saving way to excuse ourselves from their areas, and they can then fend for themselves. Sounds equitable to me.

[wimpycat]

Just what are the facts of this case? You certainly can't get it from this article. Two Korean girls were run over by an American military vehicle. OK, that's all we know. Did our driver run off the road and hit them? Did the girls walk out in front of him? Were they even on a road?

[ppaul]

What is sad is that probably none of that is understood or appreciated, and goes right past the young person of Korea in 2002. Right in one ear and out the other. Zero resonance.

What is sad is that probably none of that is understood or appreciated, and goes right past the young person of Korea America in 2002. Right in one ear and out the other. Zero resonance.

[Bruce Kurtz]

I was a ROK exchange officer from 90-92, so I had my POV. Each day I drove to work, I would experience a near miss accident. Trucks would not stop at stop signs and even go through red lights. Cars would pass around curves when they could not tell if cars were coming from the opposite direction. I saw a young kid on a scooter going down the middle of the highway, where traffic was going more than 55 MPH. I almost ran over a ROK civilian who was obviously drunk and passed out on the highway, and wearing dark clothes. My wife was almost run over walking on the sidewalks in Seoul. I once asked one of my Korean co-workers why most people don't stop at stop signs, he said that since most people don't stop, they feel there should not be a stop sign there.

I also remember going to my boss's house, and then he had to escort me out of town, because of un-marked intersections, which are intersections with no lights or stop signs and cars go 55 MPH or more.
Children use the streets to play in, so I'm not surprised of the accident.

Bruce Kurtz

[Darksheare]

Don't forget people purposefully aiming their vehicles at Deuce -n- Halfs to cause an accident to try and get money.

[unequallawsuntoasavagerace]

The Koreans are good people but we've overstayed our welcome. It's time that the Koreans of the south figure out how to survive or resolve the conflict with the north.
We own neither the land nor the conflict.