United States Forces Korea Explained

Unit Name:United States Forces Korea
주한 미군
Type:Subordinate unified command
Start Date:1 July 1957
Command Structure: U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Size:~24,000
Garrison:Camp Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, South Korea
Garrison Label:Headquarters
Nickname:USFK
Commander1 Label:Commander UNC/CFC/USFK
Commander2 Label:Deputy Commander
Commander3:CSM Jack H. Love, USA
Commander3 Label:Command Sergeant Major
Notable Commanders:
Identification Symbol Label:Distinctive unit insignia
Identification Symbol 2 Label:Flag
Rr:Juhanmigun
Mr:Chuhanmigun

The United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a sub-unified command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK was initially established in 1957, and encompasses U.S. combat-ready fighting forces and components under the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) – a supreme command for all of the South Korean and U.S. ground, air, sea and special operations component commands. Major USFK elements include U.S. Eighth Army (EUSA), U.S. Air Forces Korea (Seventh Air Force), U.S. Naval Forces Korea (CNFK), U.S. Marine Forces Korea (MARFORK) and U.S. Special Operations Command Korea (SOCKOR).

The mission of USFK is to support the United Nations Command (UNC) and Combined Forces Command by coordinating and planning among U.S. component commands, and exercise operational control of U.S. forces as directed by United States Indo-Pacific Command. In addition, USFK is responsible for organizing, training and equipping U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula, as well as executing ancillary functions such as non-combatant evacuation operations.

The U.S. military presence in South Korea is extensive, including at least 24,234 active-duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines as well as nine major bases.[1]

Components

United Nations Command and Combined Forces Command

While USFK is a separate organization from United Nations Command (UNC) and ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC), its mission is to support both UNC and CFC by coordinating and planning among US component commands and providing US supporting forces to the CFC. As such, USFK continues to support the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

In response to the North Korean attack against South Korea on 25 June 1950, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) established the UNC as a unified command under the US in UNSC Resolution 84 on 7 July 1950. The UNC mission was to assist South Korea to repel the attack and restore international peace and security in Korea. Throughout the war, 53 nations provided support to the UNC; 16 nations provided combat forces and five sent medical and hospital units. After three years of hostilities, the commanders of both sides signed the Armistice Agreement on 27 July 1953.

Hostilities today are also deterred by this bi-national defense team that evolved from the multi-national UNC. Established on 7 November 1978, the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) is the warfighting headquarters. Its role is to deter, or defeat if necessary, outside aggression against the ROK.

History

The following is a partial list of border incidents involving North Korea since the Armistice Agreement of 27 July 1953, ended large scale military action of the Korean War. Most of these incidents took place near either the Korean Demilitarized Zone or the Northern Limit Line. This list includes engagements on land, air and sea but does not include alleged incursions and terrorist incidents that occurred away from the border.

Many of the incidents occurring at sea are due to border disputes. The North claims jurisdiction over a large area south of the disputed western maritime border, the Northern Limit Line in the waters west of the Korean Peninsula. This is a prime fishing area, particularly for crabs, and clashes commonly occur. In addition, the North claims its territorial waters extend for 50nmi from the coast, rather than the 12nmi recognized by other countries. According to the 5 January 2011 Korea Herald, since July 1953 North Korea has violated the armistice 221 times, including 26 military attacks.[8]

1950s

1960s

See also: Korean DMZ Conflict.

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Number of U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea by year

Year Number
1950 510
1951 42,069
1952 326,863
1953 326,863
1954 225,590
1955 75,328
1956 68,813
1957 71,045
1958 46,024
1959 49,827
1960 55,864
1961 57,694
1962 60,947
1963 56,910
1964 62,596
1965 58,636
1966 47,076
1967 55,057
1968 62,263
1969 66,531
1970 52,197
1971 40,740
1972 41,600
1973 41,864
1974 40,387
1975 40,204
1976 39,133
1977 40,705
1978 41,565
1979 39,018
1980 38,780
1981 38,254
1982 39,194
1983 38,705
1984 40,785
1985 41,718
1986 43,133
1987 44,674
1988 45,501
1989 44,461
1990 41,344
1991 40,062
1992 35,743
1993 34,830
1994 36,796
1995 36,016
1996 36,539
1997 35,663
1998 36,890
1999 35,913
2000 36,565
2001 37,605
2002 37,743
2003 41,145
2004 40,840
2005 30,983
2020 28,500
Sources:[34] [35]

Exercises

Each year the ROK, the US and a selection of Sending States from the United Nations Command participate in multiple defense-oriented, combined and joint training events designed to defend the Republic of Korea, protect the region, and maintain and increase stability on the Korean peninsula.

Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, Key Resolve, and Foal Eagle, in addition to multiple Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) Drills, are the three theater level exercises.

In June 2018 the South Korea and the US claimed they are ready to stop the conducting of military drills in order to create significant opportunities for the negotiations with DPRK.[36]

Shoulder sleeve insignia

Description

A shield-shaped embroidered device NaNinches in height and NaNinches in width overall blazoned: azure, in chief four mullets bendwise argent, all above a stylized American bald eagle, issuant from sinister base volant to dexter chief; the eagle's body gules surmounted by two bendlets, wider at base, of the second throughout; head of the second, eyed of the field, leg and talons of the second grasping a laurel branch and seven arrows or. The entire shield shape is edged with a NaNinches white border. Attached above the device is a designation band in scarlet inscribed "USFK" in white letters. The entire device is edged with a NaNinches blue border.

Symbolism

The shield shape reflects the United States Forces Korea's steadfast commitment to defend the sovereignty of South Korea. The abbreviation "USFK" stands for United States Forces Korea which activated on 1 July 1957. The four stars symbolize the service and contributions of the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and the United States Marine Corps. The stylized American bald eagle represents cohesion and unity among the services. The laurel sprigs and arrows depict the mission of the United States Forces Korea to defeat aggression if necessary. Red, white, and blue are the colors of the flag of the United States of America. Red symbolizes hard work and honor, white represents innocence and purity, and blue refers to justice and perseverance. Yellow signifies wisdom and intuition.

Background

The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 18 June 2012. (TIOH Dwg. No. A-1-1077).[37]

Controversy

Gwangju Uprising

The 1980s marked a surge in anti-Americanism in Korea, widely traced to the events of May 1980.[38]

Gwangju convinced a new generation of young [Koreans] that the democratic movement had developed not with the support of Washington, as an older generation of more conservative Koreans thought, but in the face of daily American support for any dictator who could quell the democratic aspirations of the Korean people. The result was an anti-American movement in the 1980s that threatened to bring down the whole structure of American support for the ROK. American cultural centers were burned to the ground (more than once in Gwangju); students immolated themselves in protest of Reagan's support for Chun [Doo-hwan].[39]

Fundamental to this movement was a perception of U.S. complicity in Chun's rise to power, and, more particularly, in the Gwangju massacre itself. These matters remain controversial. It is clear, for example, that the U.S. authorized the Korean Army's 20th Division to re-take Gwangju – as acknowledged in a 1982 letter to the New York Times by then-Ambassador Gleysteen.

[General [[John A. Wickham Jr.|Wickham]]], with my concurrence, permitted transfer of well-trained troops of the twentieth R.O.K.A. Division from martial-law duty in Seoul to Gwangju because law and order had to be restored in a situation that had run amok following the outrageous behavior of the Korean Special Forces, which had never been under General Wickham's command.[40]

However, as Gwangju Uprising editors Scott-Stokes and Lee note, whether the expulsion of government troops left the situation lawless or "amok" is very much open to dispute.

21st century

In 2002, anti-American sentiment in South Korea spiked after two U.S. soldiers in an M60 armored vehicle-launched bridge (AVLB) accidentally hit and killed two South Korean teenage girls in the Yangju highway incident.[41]

An expansion of Camp Humphreys later in the decade served as a catalyst for the Daechuri Protests, drawing thousands of South Korean citizens,[42] resulting in occasional violent clashes and arrests.[43] Following a series of large protests against the U.S. and Republic of Korea governments' plan to expand Camp Humphreys and make it the main base for most U.S. troops in South Korea, residents of Daechuri and other small villages near Pyeongtaek agreed to a government settlement to leave their homes in 2006 and allow the base's expansion.[44] [45] Compensation for the land averaged 600 million won (about US$600,000) per resident.[46]

With the relocation of the new USFK and UNC headquarters to Camp Humphreys (in Pyeongtaek) on 29 June 2018, the USFK command and the majority of its subordinate units have officially moved out of the city of Seoul; headquarters are now 35km (22miles) further south.[47]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, members of USFK, and other foreign nationals were reported to have no-mask parties at Haeundae Beach in Busan for the Independence Day of 2020,[48] and the Memorial Day of 2021, despite local social distancing restrictions.[49] They engaged in unruly behavior, which included playing loud music, heavy drinking, and the shooting of firecrackers at locals.[50]

Relationships between U.S. soldiers and South Korean women

Western princesses (prostitutes servicing U.S. soldiers) have resulted in a negative image for South Korean women who have relationships with American men.[51] [52]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Nicastro, Luke and Tilghman, Andrew. U.S. Overseas Basing: Background and Issues for Congress. Congressional Research Service, July 2024, pp. 8-9, 32-33. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R48123
  2. Web site: Home page of Eighth Army . 2022-08-03 .
  3. Web site: Home . 2022-08-03 . cnrk.cnic.navy.mil.
  4. Web site: U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea . 2022-08-03 . www.marfork.marines.mil.
  5. Web site: Pages - SOCKOR Home . 2022-08-03 . www.socom.mil.
  6. Web site: Home page of 7th Air Force . 2022-08-03 . www.7af.pacaf.af.mil.
  7. Web site: US Space Force establishes first foreign command in South Korea as threat from North grows. Brad. Lendon. 14 December 2022. CNN.
  8. News: N.K. Commits 221 Provocations Since 1953. Korea Herald. 5 January 2011. 15 May 2013. 29 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130529234242/http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20110105000563. dead.
  9. Web site: Dick K. Nanto . Report for Congress, North Korea: Chronology of Provocations, 1950 - 2003 . Federation for American Scientists . 18 March 2003 . 3 April 2015 . 26 December 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101226183423/http://www.fas.org/man/crs/RL30004.pdf . dead .
  10. The Reluctant Communist. Charles Robert Jenkins (University of California Press) p. 34
  11. Web site: An American in North Korea, Pledging Allegiance to the Great Leader . Russell . Mark . New York Times. 19 October 2006 . 28 January 2007.
  12. News: Robert G. . Anderson . Casey Morgan . Joe Dresnok: An American in North Korea . 60 Minutes . CBS News . 28 January 2007 . 27 July 2013.
  13. Book: Seth, Michael. A History of Korea: History to Antiquity . . 12 North Korea: Recovery, Transformation, and Decline, 1953 to 1993 .
  14. News: Deserter Recalls N. Korean Hell. CBS News .
  15. Web site: Cold War Shootdowns . 9 December 2007.
  16. Web site: North Korean Provocative Actions, 1950 - 2007 . 9 December 2007 . 20 April 2007 . United States Congress.
  17. Book: Daniel, Bolger . Scenes from an Unfinished War: Low-Intensity Conflict in Korea, 1966-1968 . 10 December 2007 . . 3: A Continuous Nightmare . http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/scenes/scen_c3.pdf.
  18. Web site: Pueblo . http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20101208130037/http%3A//www%2Ehistory%2Enavy%2Emil/danfs/p13/pueblo%2Diii%2Ehtm . 8 December 2010 . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . 10 December 2007 . United States Navy.
  19. Web site: filtration of North Korean Commando Troops into Ulchin-Samchok Area . 12 December 2007 . 31 August 2006 . Koreascope.
  20. News: 7 GIs Die in Korean DMZ Fighting . The Hartford Courant . 17 March 1969.
  21. Web site: North, South Trade Fire Along DMZ. https://web.archive.org/web/20071026051155/http://www.voanews.com/tibetan/archive/2003-07/a-2003-07-17-2-1.cfm. 26 October 2007. VOA News. 2 August 2006.
  22. Kim, San (10 November 2009). Koreas clash in the waters west of the Korean Peninsula, blame each other. Yonhap.
  23. News: North Korea condemned by world powers over torpedo attack. Daily Telegraph. 20 May 2010. 20 May 2010. London. Peter. Foster. Malcolm. Moore.
  24. Web site: Letter dated 4 June 2010 from the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council. United Nations Security Council. Park In-kook. 4 June 2010. S/2010/281. 11 July 2010.
  25. News: Press Conference on Situation in Korean Peninsula: DPRK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sin Son Ho. United Nations. Department of Public Information. 15 June 2010. 11 July 2010.
  26. News: Presidential Statement: Attack on Republic of Korea Naval Ship 'Cheonan'. United Nations. United Nations Security Council. 9 July 2010. S/PRST/2010/13. 11 July 2010.
  27. News: 북한 해안포 도발 감행, 연평도에 포탄 100여발 떨어져. 2010-11-23. 23 November 2010. Chosun Ilbo.
  28. News: GLOBAL MARKETS: European Stocks Seen Lower on Korea News . The Wall Street Journal . 23 November 2010.
  29. News: North Korea fires on South Korea – live coverage . London . The Guardian . Adam . Gabbatt . 23 November 2010.
  30. News: Gwon. Seung-jun. 합참 "우리 군 대응사격으로 북한 측 피해도 상당할 것". The Chosun Ilbo. 23 November 2010. 23 November 2010.
  31. News: Additional U.S. Battalion Going to South Korea . SHANKER . THOM . 7 January 2014 . www.nytimes.com . 7 January 2014.
  32. News: South Korea and the billion mustache . Bosco . Joseph . The Hill . Washington DC . 24 January 2020 . 21 April 2020.
  33. News: U.S. Military In South Korea Faces Double Blow Of Korean Staff Furloughs And COVID-19 . Kuhn . Anthony . National Public Radio . 1 April 2020 . 22 April 2020.
  34. Web site: Kane. Tim. Global U.S. Troop Deployment, 1950-2005. The Heritage Foundation. 9 April 2018. 24 May 2006.
  35. News: How to Constructively and Safely Reduce and Realign US Forces on the Korean Peninsula . Work . Clint . The Henry L. Stimson Center . 38 North . 25 August 2020 . 25 August 2020.
  36. Web site: US to suspend military exercises with South Korea, Trump says. TheGuardian.com. 12 June 2018.
  37. https://archive.today/20130626170655/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Heraldry/ArmyDUISSICOA/ArmyHeraldryUnit.aspx?u=8572 The Institute of Heraldry
  38. http://www.eroseffect.com/articles/neoliberalismgwangju.htm#_ednref71 Neoliberalism and the Gwangju Uprising
  39. Bruce Cumings in Lee Jai-Eui, Gwangju Diary. University of California, 1999. p. 27
  40. quoted in The Gwangju Uprising. Ed. Henry Scott-Stokes and Lee Jai-Eui, East Gate Publishing, 2000. p. 231
  41. News: Anti-US protests grow in Seoul . 8 December 2002 . BBC News . 30 June 2012.
  42. Web site: Turmoil, barbed wire surround rice fields . Franklin Fisher . 13 May 2006 . Stars and Stripes . 30 June 2012.
  43. Web site: Ten injured in protest near U.S. military base . 8 August 2005 . Joongang Daily . 30 June 2012.
  44. Web site: Ceremonies honor residents driven from lands slated for Humphreys expansion . Stars and Stripes . 9 April 2007.
  45. Web site: S. Koreans rally at Camp Humphreys fence to protest U.S. presence . Stars and Stripes . 10 August 2005.
  46. Web site: Daechuri issue sees no resolve . The Hankyoreh . 2 January 2012.
  47. http://www.usfk.mil/Media/News/Article/1563387/unc-and-usfk-open-new-headquarters-building/ UNC and USFK Open New Headquarters Building
  48. News: U.S. military officials in Korea apologize after July 4th party gets out of hand. The Washington Post. 2020-07-07.
  49. News: USFK members, foreigners hold no-mask parties on Busan beach amid pandemic. Yonhap News Agency. 2021-05-30.
  50. Web site: USFK officials express regrets over July 4 beach incident in South Korea. Military Times. 2020-07-07.
  51. Web site: The actual reality of interracial relationships . Sung So-young . . 13 June 2012 . 13 April 2013.
  52. News: Forum tackles overseas marriages . 23 October 2005 . . Soe-jung . Kim . 12 April 2013 .