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General Overview ofGI Crimes MythIt was not unusual to hear nice, intelligent Korean adults of all ages say as a major of fact, "GIs are never held to justice in Korea. They just fly away to American, and there is nothing we can do about it." Besides being accepted as gospel by Koreans of all ages, it was also taken as a given by Koreans of all stripe -- pro-American, anti-American, neutral, and non-political alike. What was hardest to accept about this conventional wisdom was that the seeds of information to the contrary of this myth were clearly available in their head. When you hear this wisdom about GI crimes, just ask the speaker to give you some examples to help you understand. If you press, they will tell you of a couple of infamous murders and other crimes. If you check, even if you press them for details, you will probably see that they do in fact know the GIs in these crimes were --- arrested by Koreans, put on trial by Koreans, and found guilty by Korean judges. Today, unlike when I was teaching Korean adults, the person telling you about one key reason Korean society is anti-USFK / anti-US is the fact GIs get away with crimes and Korea can't do anything about it --------- they can point to the 2002 Tank Accident/Murder and the 2000 Water Poisoning of 10 Million Seoul Citizens. You can read my review of those two cases and decide for yourself if they are great tragedies of justice that excuse the myth of "no" GIs "ever" facing "Korean justice." But, beyond those two cases, the examples of bastard GI Crimes Koreans have been able to tell me about have ALWAYS turned out to be examples that prove the exact opposite of what they desperately want to believe -- like the 1993 horrible Markle Murder Case. Markle still sits in a Korean prison to this day (Dec. 2005 -- latest update - he was released in 2006). The murder was brutal, but the GI was convicted, and in a Korean civilian criminal court, (something a Korean soldier criminal never faces, because they are always tried by the Korean military court system). To cut this short, I can easily show you how utterly preposterous the GI Crimes Myth is in Korea by noting a Dec. 2003 editorial in one of Korea's top media conglomerates that produce The Korean Times. Headline :
First Prosecution
of US Soldier
It boggles the mind. How could a man paid a good salary, and having risen through the ranks as a journalist, not remember at least the most famous murders that led to convictions? In a word : Easily. It makes no sense. I had a few long time students who were with me through more than 1 well publicized GI Crimes - crimes in which we watched the criminal soldier get convicted in Korean court. But, when the new one rose, these same students still found they could say nothing but, "GIs are never held to justice in Korea. This will be the first time if the US government doesn't shield the soldier again...." It makes no sense. The only other time I've run across something so baffling is in the States with people who have racial prejudice and don't know it. I knew some people in high school who had one or two good friends they hung out with, invited to their home even, who were black, but they still found a way from time to time, when among white friends, that they "don't like black people." If you pressed them on it, they still couldn't get it.... It is that kind of mind block in Korea too. What I am offering in these pages is what I know about GI Crimes and what I have been able to find. The English language Korean newspapers have online archives that go back to 1998-99. Much of what I found comes from US media archives --- and keep in mind these papers don't spend much time on day to day things in South Korea beyond the geopolitical. It is a safe bet more GI Crimes came and went and were not covered by them at all. Whatever the case may be, it is undeniable the Myth of GI Crimes in Korea is unsupported and ultimately inexcusable. To think differently, you have to stretch out the hand of understanding Korean society beyond the bounds of normalcy.
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14 Jan 2007 - Rape Case Brief Summary GI arrested, held, and convicted for a rape and assault of a elderly Korean woman. Sentenced to 4 years in initial sentencing --- (which is similar to Korean-on-Korean cases). Korean press shows a complete 180 degree change from the normal coverage of GI Crimes. (I didn't check the Korea Herald - one of the two main English-language papers, because their webpage is too annoying even with broadban access) Articles and Bigger Picture Korean Press Reaction See Korea Times 14 Jan 2007 The tone was matter-of-fact crime case reporting. The USFK commander's apology was quoted at length. No anti-US NGO was quoted nor was any of their group activities to protest the case. (A clear cut sign - South Korea is still very worried USFK might be leaving - but more on that later). That was the case in at least the English-language versions of the Korean press, which usually represent the tone and line of the Korean-language versions (from what little I've been able to tell). Early Description of the Crime - mostly via Stars and Stripes
The judge ordering the soldier held seemed to play into the usual GI Crimes Mythology:
But, the press coverage was tame and what you would expect from regular crime reporting - which is a refreshing change from the norm in the GI Crimes Myth... The press coverage remained fair through the initial verdict as well:
Having read many articles on GI Crimes for this section of this site, I had a good hunch the reporter in the following Joongang Daily (JAD) had to be restrained by his copy editors. I feel you can see how he wanted to add some stuff to it but did not stray from pretty much normal crime reporting. For example:
"Up to life in prison" is the redherring tag. The truth is, the Korean police and justice system are way behind other industrial, advanced nations in handling sexual crimes. You see Korean society discussing this with itself every year through a series of high profile news articles that come up here and there. Koreans know their court system does NOT lay down heavy sentences in rape cases. But, this article by the JAD only gives very minor hints of the typical GI Myth Press coverage. So minor, you wouldn't notice it if you did not have a lot of experience with this issue. Previously, it was typical for the reporters to show distaste for sentences like this for being way-too-light and signs of USFK pressure (even though Korean rapists have gotten similar lengths). The 2nd paragraph about remaining silent could have easily gotten some negative flare out of the press - either the reporters or from the editorial desk --- ---but none of that happened this time. And, no anti-US NGOs were heard from at all. Which is rather amazing. (Another JAD short article 31 Jan 2007 and even shorter 14 Jan 2007 article) The SOFA Angle 23-year-old Pvt. G. Ramirez
SOFA revisions came about every 2 or 3 years after I arrived in Korea around 1996. GI Crimes changes usually involved how soon the Korean authorities got full control of suspects. It went from - until all appeals were exhausted, to after the first verdict, to the start of the trial, to after the arrest (in some cases). One of the fall back positions --- from the common original claim that "no GIs" are "ever" held to justice in Korea --- was always, "USFK won't let the Korean government have the soldiers. So it is almost impossible to collect evidence and convict them. The US protects the criminal GIs." The big problem with this common truth in Korean society: I have never found a case where a GI was not found guilty. I can't even remember a case off the top of my head where charges were dropped citing lack of evidence. Also, 20 Jan 2007 S&S article. The Apology Angle
A very good themometer of the anti-US temperature in Korean society is: how apologies are handled. In this case, the apologies were printed by the Korean press - (good sign). They were not undermined by the reporters as "insincere" - (very good sign). They were not undermined by parallel quotes from pissed off anti-US NGO members - (good sign) - or Korean politicians - (good sign). If anti-US NGO leaders aren't given a voice, you know you are in a period in which the Korean press is trying its best to keep things cool. Here was the Korea Times from the 9 March 2007 article linked above when it came to the apology:
This is actually BS, but a minor point in the overall press coverage on this crime. The truth is: in all the cases I can think of I've watched over the years or dug up from research --- the USFK side has had a pattern of reaction: The apologize immediately, starting with the commander of the base the GI was stationed at. If it involved a death, USFK would offer the Korean customary small amount of money for bereavement. They would usually add that they couldn't talk about specifics of cases because it was still awaiting a trial and verdict and it would be improper to speak about specifics since the suspect was still a suspect and not convicted yet. And that could sometimes be used to prove the "insincerity" of USFK's apology and so on. But, there is no difference between how USFK handled this case and the vast majority of other cases I've covered on this site. The difference is in the Korean Press actions. The Typical GI Crimes Conversation: The main Korean line when first mentioning the topic of GI Crimes I usually heard was, "No GIs ever face justice in Korea. They just fly away home, and there is nothing Korea can do about it." I knew this line had problems even when I knew zero about Korea when I first arrived, because when I'd ask for examples, they would give me cases that turned out to be examples of exactly the opposite: they were all well-known cases where GIs had, in fact, stood trial in a Korean court. That is how strong the bias on "GI Crimes" runs in Korean society. It is just accepted as a given that GIs "never" face justice - and Koreans will fall back from there depending on how much you know or question. That is a common phenomenon.
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GI Crimes