The golf course, if it's ever built, will be one of the very last things to be built. And if it is, the Koreans will get Seongnam GC back, which is an absolutely beautiful course in one of Seoul's most expensive areas. I'd much rather drive up there and play than to play on a course on the Pyongtaek River. Ugh!

Sure, I empathisize with the farmers, just as I do with my Great Grandfather for having lost his land in WWII, but imminent domain happens all the time for a lot less worthy causes, imho anyway.

You sound like you're talking about some third world country half a step away from the stone age rather than an advanced industrial nation whose bread and butter is exporting industrial products around the world.

And I guess if USFK was nothing more than a few stops on the PGA tour, your recurrent use of "golf course" to justify your big hearted empathy, you might have something.

I have looked at things from enough of Korea's point of view:

My wife's family was moved out of its homes twice within 2 years recently. Once to make way for a road. The other to make way for a few more Hyundai apartment buildings.

Both times, they got money for the house (which they owned) but not for the land (which they didn't). Both times, they had to make due with a little less on the new place they moved to.

It sucks being moved off your land — but it happens. It happens in Korea, the US, any industrialized nation on the planet.

It certainly isn't unheard of in Korea. We're not talking about some underdeveloped nation where the evil GIs are burning down hooches.

So, what makes the removal in Pyongtaek so immoral? Because it is so a bunch of whities can play golf?

If that's what you need to believe to pat yourself on the back for being so empathetic with Koreans, and put down other expats as ignorant and cruel to accomplish the same, I guess that works for you….

I finally found the word that was holding up the post… I just can't believe it.

…but that is likely a reflection of general character… as I notice a lot of posters here tolerate, and even make excuses for, other facets of USFK corruption and general crapinesss.

Keep in mind, before the hating starts, I'm not making any point as to the long-term rightness or wrongness of this expansion for USFK, the Korean government and the Korean people… because I don't know.

"Having to work hard for the moral outrage one this one"

Of course you are.

A lack of empathy is one of the defining signs of a sociopathhe.

Just because you breezed into Korea, made a lot of money "teaching" substandard English and zipped back to the States to get a job based on your "teaching experience", doesn't mean life is so easy for settled farmers who lack your education and experience just because you won the English Speaking Whitee Man's Lottery and they didn't.

(By the way, congratulations, fellow winner.)

"Occupying Korea Now that some funny stuff."

Of course it is… with a narrow, Ameri-centric world view, it appears to be satire.

While, snarkiness aside, you and I know that it isn't an "occupation", what does it look like to the demonstrators… or even average Korean citizens which might pull themselves away from Starcraft long enough to read some Internet propaganda about it?

When the American military gets the Korean government to take productive land from highly-regarded Rice Farmers to build a golf course, what are Koran citizens supposed to think?

And, USFK "leadership", on a non-caring two year tour, runs most of their business like this… with little regard for the feelings of the Korean people (except shameless azz-kissing of "good neighbor community 'leaders'")… as they expect the Korean government to keep citizens in line and sell the Programs.

Hmmm… and they may be right.

Out of 47 million Koreans, a million or so yelling, "Yankee go home!" with no real effect on America's interests, apart from some unsold beef and an occasional new roll of chain link fencing, hardly makes the situation worthy of attention… except by bitter Korea-hating Internet whiners.

Anti-Americanism doesn't spontaneously occur in a vacuum because they "hate our freedoms" or other manufactured soundbite nonsense.

There are valid reasons for it which become blindingly obvious when looked at from a local point of view. And, until everyone is willing to sit down, stop lying to themselves and make an honest appraisal of the situation, there will continue to be Anti-Americanism… and the belief that USFK is "occupying" Korean soil.