This bust of the blackmarket in Korea that sells MRE’s seems odd to me considering this has been going on out in the open for years:

U.S. troops and South Korean soldiers helped supply a black market ring that illegally sold 20,000 Meals, Ready to Eat across South Korea in the past three years, according to the Gangnam police department.

Police on Wednesday charged 51 South Koreans for illegally selling imported food and violating the country’s Food Safety Act, a department spokesman said. No Americans were arrested, and the spokesman said it would be impossible to track them down.

According to the spokesman, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity, the department began tracking the ring after getting a tip in mid-April.

Since then, police have confiscated 50 boxes of MREs that were for sale in traditional outdoor markets across the country, including Seoul’s Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, Sincheon and Cheonggyecheon markets, and in the cities of Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Incheon and Bucheon. Police believe MREs — each packaged in a plastic casing that says “US Government Property Commercial Resale is Unlawful” — are being sold in other cities across the country as well.

“Some people said they like the MREs because they taste really good,” the spokesman said.

USFK officials said Thursday they were unaware of an MRE smuggling ring.

The police spokesman said the sellers usually got the MREs from U.S. troops, their wives or South Korean soldiers assigned to work with the U.S. military called KATUSAs, or Korean Augmentees to the U.S. Army.

Women who sell food to U.S. troops during exercises also picked up MREs left behind after exercises, and sold them to black marketers, he said.

The spokesman said a box of 12 MREs was selling on the black market for between 40,000 and 65,000 won, or about $33 to $54 — roughly twice what each box is worth, the police officer said.  [Ashley Rowland & Hwang Hae-rym - Stars & Stripes]

There has been prior crackdowns on the MRE blackmarketing but this is the biggest one I have seen yet.  The scam used to be much worse a few years ago but crackdowns on the MRE scam beginning in the US where soldiers were convicted of selling MREs over E-Bay has improved accountability of MREs in the military.

One way MREs get on the blackmarket in Korea is from soldiers because when units go to the field each battalion has an “ajumma tent” assigned to them that sells Korean food to the soldiers.  Soldiers used to be able to give ajumma an MRE for a cheesy ramyon meal for example.  However this was outlawed and at least in my unit strictly enforced.  That cheesy ramyon probably cost ajumma a dollar while she can sell the MRE she gained for five dollars.  Ajumma makes huge profits from the MREs, but I think this way getting MREs has been reduced.

If you read the article you will see that many of the MRE’s are expired thus meaning that the corruption is likely going on in the dining and distribution facilities that are not properly disposing of the MREs.  Besides the blackmarketing these people should also be charged for public health violations.

As this article shows MRE blackmarketing is still alive and well in Korea.  Some may wonder why in the world someone would want to buy MREs in Korea?  The MREs get sold in the marketplaces to primarily fishermen as well as some campers who want non-perishable food.   I have had many Koreans tell me they like how the MREs taste when mixed with tobasco sauce.  It makes you wonder why someone in Korea just doesn’t open their own business that sells MRE equivalents since there is such a demand?