Workers on US military bases made millions by selling access

Posted on : 2012-07-19 13:17 KST Modified on : 2012-07-19 13:17 KST
Joint South Korean-US investigation shows Korean employees abusing lax enforcement for personal gain

By Kim Il-woo, Daegu correspondent

An investigation by the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and Korean prosecutors into the illicit sale of entry passes to US bases in Seoul and Daegu has revealed that for decades influential figures in the Daegu area received base passes after bribing Korean workers.

In response to an official inquiry sent by the Hankyoreh, Eighth US Army’s 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command said on July 18 that an employee had been terminated after the unit‘s internal investigation confirmed he had engaged in violations. It also said the case had been transferred from USFK to the Korean prosecutors’ special investigation department.

It has been confirmed that a Mr. Noh, 54, suspected of having led the backdoor deals over base passes, received a termination notice from 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command on June 19.

It was learned that CID‘s investigation began in January after investigators receiving intelligence concerning Noh’s illegal deals. CID concluded its investigation in March and handed over its investigation materials to Korean prosecutors.

Noh is suspected of receiving millions of won per base pass, taking advantage of the poor screening measures for “Good Neighbor Access Passes,” issued to Koreans who have worked to promote Korea-US exchange.

The special investigation department of Daegu District Prosecutor‘s Office has also confirmed most of the charges against Noh. It reportedly plans to announce the results of its investigation after indicting Noh at the end of July.

Noh had worked at Daegu’s Camp Henry since 1984. Camp Henry is home to the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, which handles Eighth US Army‘s logistics. From April 1994 until recently, Noh held the position of Community Relations Officer.

Considering that about 800 passes have been issued from Camp Henry, it’s estimated that Noh pocketed a significant amount of money over his close to 20 years in that position.

There was high demand for the passes among prominent figures in the Daegu area because pass-holders could use the low-cost golf course and restaurants at nearby Camp Walker.

Additionally, in this strongly conservative region, base passes to US military bases are a kind of status symbol.

In particular, Noh reportedly led the founding of the Korean and American Partnership Association (KAPA), a US military support group in 2003 and had received annual fees and donations ever since.

It‘s said KAPA has about 30 directors and 100 general members - the annual fee for directors is 1.2 million won, and that of general members is 500,000 won. Accordingly, its total annual fees alone are estimated to exceed 100 million won.

In addition, Noh was reported to have received member donations of about 2 million won (about US$1750) each time he claimed to host events like parties for US soldiers.

On condition of anonymity, one KAPA director said the group hasn’t held a single board meeting or financial audit since its founding.

In January, at Seoul‘s US Army Garrison in Yongsan, police booked a retired lieutenant major and a special aide to the USFK commander in charge of international cooperation, both of whom had worked at Combined Forces Command. They were revealed to have received between 200,000 won and 3.3 million won in return for issuing passes to Koreans, pocketing a total of about 50 million won.

 

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