An American diplomat in Seoul has fled the scene after a suspected hit-and-run incident and is now hiding from the police at a US military base, South Korean law enforcement has complained.
Professor Kiji Noh: By art. 29 of the Vienna convention, a legitimate diplomat would be immune from prosecution, as would be a US soldier, but the failure to even stop and share information speaks volumes about the rogue state of mind of this US official.
Also, Why does the US still have a base in Seoul at Yongsan?
Yongsan Garrison in Seoul was the site of the 8th Army Garrison for decades. It is a huge compound, nearly the size of NY’s Central Park. Like NY’s central Park, it is smack in the center of the city of Seoul. Imagine if Central Park were not a municipal park, but a foreign military garrison off limits to the citizens, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, with an adjacent slum full of thousands of trafficked prostitutes serving the troops. That gives you a sense of the occupied colonial status of South Korea.
Yongsan Garrison was supposed to be returned to the Korean government by 2019. (This was because the US decided that its troops were vulnerable to a massive NK artillery attack). The Garrison was moved to Camp Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, about 40 miles further south. This was a castling maneuver, combined with the installation of THAAD missile batteries. The SK government paid 10 B for the construction of this new base for the Americans, which includes two golf courses, a water park (essential for any military installation), and 72,000 sq ft mall. It will house 45,000 troops and their dependents, occupying over 3000 acres. It is considered “the largest force projection platform in the pacific”, and has the busiest military airport in the world. Thousands of farmers were removed from their rice fields during the base expansion, over a brutal 10 year battle, in order to clear space for the base (a single golf course occupies the land that could produce rice to feed up to 10,000 people).
Johnson Choi Biz 