Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mountainous]

Older article, still a great read: http://rokdrop.com/2005/03/24/korean-woman-earns-12-million-in-yongsan-scam/

A Korean woman earned herself $1.2 million dollars by illegally signing people on to the installation, according to the Stars and Stripes:

A 48-year-old South Korean woman was arrested Tuesday on charges of using her access to Yongsan Garrison to charge entrance fees in exchange for signing in almost 180 South Koreans during the past three years to gamble, according to Seoul police.

The woman has been accused of charging each person 30,000 won ($30) for access an estimated 900 times between April 2002 and January 2005, and the numbers could be higher, said Chief Detective Jang Sung-yoon, who works in the foreign affairs section of the Seoul Police.

The woman is officially charged with running an illegal currency exchange business, in which she charged interest while exchanging won and dollars, Jang said. The police found a bank account in her name containing more than 1.2 billion won, or $1.2 million, he said.

The woman, whom Jang would identify only by her last name, Kim, gained access to base through her membership in the Korean-American Association, Jang said. He said Kim never had worked on base or for U.S. Forces Korea.

To gain access to a USFK facilty an ID card holder only needs to sign that guest on to post and the guest gives up their ID card until they are signed out by midnight that same night. This whole scam is really amazing. The fact that illegal gambling is going on isn�t amazing, what is amazing is how much money she made signing people on to post. $1.2 million dollars and signing in 900 people in 3 years!? How the heck didn�t anybody notice she was signing in all these different people all the time?

The biggest question I am concerned about is force protection. If USFK has a curfew because of all the terrorists lurking in Itaewon just waiting to get us than you would think access to the camp would be much tighter. Heck the terrorists can get on camp for $30 and bomb us there too unless they get caught up to long on a slot machine. Maybe soldiers are safer in Itaewon after all?

[JustJohn]

Interesting story but 30 x 900 = 27,000.

That's 1,173,000 worth of missing math, and I'm rather curious about that missing chunk.

[mountainous]

[JustJohn]

Yeah, but look what the article says:

[Julius]

And what will be her penalty i wonder.

Financial crimes appear to be more admired here than they are punished. This is a country where the president gets away with his BBK episode and corrupt businessmen are regularly released from jail to "boost the economy".

[petethebrick]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[ajgeddes]

[CentralCali]

I was just on USAGY a couple of weeks ago. The slot rooms now have a person posted at the entrance to check identification cards. Non-SOFA personnel cannot enter the slot rooms now. All along, it was not permissable for them to be there; however, the regulation was loosely enforced.

Didn't bug me or my guests as none of us gamble anyway!

[blaseblasphemener]

There is gaming operations on U.S. bases in Korea?

That seems inappropriate to me, but I'm not an American.

Also, is there an American-Canadian association I can join so I can get on base and get some Taco Bell or shop in the supermarket?

[CentralCali]