By Like with the operational control issue, I will have to see Yongsan Garrison closed with my own two eyes to actually believe it will ever happen:
The commander of U.S. Forces Korea said Friday that it could be five or six years before U.S. troops move to Camp Humphreys, the future flagship U.S. military installation in South Korea, because of the size and complexity of the massive relocation project.
Gen. Walter Sharp said he could not give an exact date for the move, which had been set by previous USFK generals for 2008 and later for 2012.
“We’re progressing well,” he said during an interview with Stars and Stripes about the Key Resolve exercise that ended Thursday, adding that he was “very satisfied” with the pace of the project.
The bulk of U.S. troops in Seoul and the area north up to the Demilitarized Zone are to move to Camp Humphreys, allowing the U.S. to return many of its bases to South Korea. But the $13 billion expansion of the once-sleepy Army helicopter base — where 17,000 U.S. troops will eventually be stationed — has been slow.
Sharp said he wants the move to happen as quickly as possible, but it’s difficult to coordinate construction, moving troops and their families, “and at the same time never losing our combat capability.”
A South Korean spokesman for the USFK Base Relocation Project Management Group, part of the country’s Ministry of National Defense, said Sharp’s five- to six-year projection was accurate. [Stars & Stripes]
When I was first stationed in Korea 10 years ago I heard talk about Yongsan Garrison being closed and I wouldn’t be surprised that 10 years from now talk about Yongsan Garrison closing will continue.
If you can believe it 2009 was an original deadline for the Yongsan move to happen. I continue to find it is incredible that the US government can decide to invade Iraq, occupy it, and then set up a security agreement with the new government to complete US withdrawal from the country in less time then it takes to withdraw troops from Yongsan Garrison.
3:52 pm on March 22nd, 2010 1
Umm where did they say Yongsan as being "closed"? Massive amounts of troops are being relocated to CP Humphreys, this is happening as we speak. As facilities become available they are moving people down there. Eventually HQ EUSA will be located at Humphreys along with most of the units located in Yongsan Garrison. Yongsan will then be handed over to the ROK government, but United Nations Command the the new Coalition command (name keeps changing) will remain on Yongsan.
The entire idea wasn't to close the base, but to relocate the majority of the troops along with their assets to Humphreys. This is why they spent the billions of dollars to purchase land and start construction. You don't cancel a plan after that much money has been spent, troops ~will~ move to Humphreys.
4:38 pm on March 22nd, 2010 2
We might pull out of Korea before the move happens the way things are going.
11:25 pm on March 22nd, 2010 3
Is there any construction work going on at all?
3:17 am on March 23rd, 2010 4
The Army announced its plans to shut down Yongsan when I was there in 1992.
Here is what I think will heppen. EUSA will figure it needs a forward presense in Seoul. This will entail the need for signal, supply, maintenance, etc. detachments. Add to that the Embassy weenies will probably want various forms of support too. And lets not forget all the civilians needed to keep such an operation going. No, I suspect there will be a substantial US presense in Korea for some time to come.
3:18 am on March 23rd, 2010 5
I meant to say US presense in Seoul. Sorry about that.
5:39 am on March 23rd, 2010 6
5:39 am on March 23rd, 2010 7
The US Embassy is already slated to move to what is now Camp Coiner. The only property the US military will retain is the Dragon Hill Lodge and a few adjacent buildings. A couple floors of the DHL will be offices for military that remains in Seoul.
6:04 am on March 23rd, 2010 8
I say either leave Yongsan the way it is or close it completely and I tend to sway towards the latter. I have heard DHL and 121 will stay along with Embassy housing and the Embassy moving to Coiner but at this point I don't believe any of it. I think the decision to close all these bases will come back to haunt Korea and the U.S. in the event North Korea decides to get stupid. Putting most of your military at one base just doesn't make sense to me. I would lean towards closing Yongsan because of it's location in Seoul but think they should have just moved only Yongsan to Humphries and left the rest of the base structure in place.
7:45 am on March 23rd, 2010 9
I was referring to the Embassy personnel residences on South Post. Surely, they're not going to have State Department yahoos living on Coiner!
8:54 am on March 23rd, 2010 10
This type of foot dragging is nothing new; reminds me of the Kanto plains consolidation of the 70's and the Rhein-Mein fiasco of the 90's.
7:03 pm on March 23rd, 2010 11
By worldwide State Dept. standards – that housing on South Post is ghetto. I believe the plan is to build some nice, luxury high rises for them on Coiner.
11:11 pm on March 23rd, 2010 12
Ah yes,
The Kanto Plain consolidations of the 70s! They crammed so much into Yokota and have just about paved it all over now, too much. Should have kept at least the west half of Tachikawa for base housing and all. But with turning over the air defense mission and all to Japan, as well as the Nixon administration Vietnamization and Pacific drawdown, no need for Tachikawa AB, Johnson AB FHA, Showa AS, Yamato AS, Fuchu AS, Mito Range, etc. Gee, when you consider all that infrastructure, that was a lot of money when the dollar to yen exchange rate was still somewhat favorable! Not sure who was footing the bill for that then but want to say it was Uncle Sam. Can you imagine the cost of all that in today's dollars or yen?
7:51 am on March 24th, 2010 13
As I understand it, the Dragon Hill land and some of the High School land in that area actually belongs to the Embassy not the military. Hence the Embassy Club on South Post. An MOA allows the military to use it.
8:09 am on March 24th, 2010 14
The plan is that 121 will not stay, DHL will.
Construction, at least land development, is happening rapidly. Just drive down there and look. There are four barracks on the new land, but as far as I know there is not one single other project approved.
1:00 am on September 19th, 2010 15
I was stationed there in 86 and they were talking about closing down Yongsan Garrison. Fact is the Korean Generals DON'T want Yongsan to go. I betcha the Korean Generals were upset when we closed the all those camps in the Western Corridor.
6:49 pm on November 11th, 2010 16
not gonna happen