This is a long post and kind of meanders around, but it is worth reading.

I'm not going to use any names or details in this post about an email I received last week, because I'm not sure what this case is all about --- but

I got an email a week or so ago from someone claiming to be a GI and claiming a Korean female he knew had been gang-raped by other GIs.

The story was over the top - but within the realm of possibility - but hard to believe.

I was instantly skeptical ----- because around 2000 or 2002 -

some complete utter jackass piece of shit ---- wrote a fake post about an ESL teacher getting gang raped by Koreans in the Pusan area.

Then, a couple of other posts, supposedly by two other authors, said they each had "verified" the story by calling the Korean police in the area and the MPs at the US base.

(I forget exactly how this was connected to USFK. It wasn't directly. It was something like the girl called the US military to get them to help because she didn't think the Korean police would do their job or something like that)

These posts were over at Dave's ESL Cafe where a lot of expats (particularly the language instructor crowd) share their thoughts on life in Korea.

It took a couple of other people (including myself) emailing and calling around for about 2 weeks to track down specifics from these posts to conclude with certainity ------- it was a complete fabrication.

It would have been nice to be able to track down the troll who posted the crap and kick the shit out of him too, but we didn't accomplish that.

(As someone who has suffered from sex abuse in the past --- I have a pretty medieval mind-set when it comes to people who commit such crimes and asses who think it is worthwhile to pretend and lie about such things.)

With this latest story of a gang rape ----

the emailer asked for advice on what to do because he claimed the Korean police would not touch the case because it involved GIs and the GIs were still threatening the female.

This seemed hard to believe --- but again within the realm of possibility -

1. Why would some GI come to me for advice? I would think the average person in such an organization could think of many more places to go for direct contact than some complete stranger on the internet (who isn't even in Korea anymore).

The email said he came to me after seeing my GI Crimes section of the www.usinkorea.org website.

Still doesn't make much sense to email me about this case to ask for advice ---- but again ---- people do do things that don't make a lot of sense.

2. The Korean police around US bases have handled major crimes by GIs before --- especially in Seoul and around Itaewon.

I can picture some Korean police wanting to avoid the case.

But I can just as easily ---- more easily ----- seeing them go for the case and leaking it to the press.

Bar fights and street altercations are often handled by the police - as well as theft, rape, and murder.

Sex crimes are still a taboo in Korean society, but again, cops around US bases like Yongsan have handled these types of crimes. You read about examples a few times each and every year.

Anyway ---

I replied to the guy's email.

First ---- I explained the Dave's ESL case and put in a disclaimer that if he was a fake, I hoped he would rot in hell....

...then I gave some advice on how to handle the situation. Mainly I said someone up the chain of command in the Korean police and prosecutor's office and/or USFK and the MPs would take the case seriously if the female would take her story to these different levels.

I have zero doubt that is true.

He replied saying he understood the need for verification and gave me some contact info for the victim. Since I am not in Korea, I did not follow up on that.

I did forward the email to a couple of soldiers - one of whom I know does some work that touches on GIs in Korean prisons. (I let the emailer know I was going to go through some people to try to verify the story).

One of them verified that a soldier by that name was of that rank and at that duty location.

But ----- it would not be beyond the skill or determination of some of the anti-US groups to go to the lengths of using a real GI's name and pretending to be him if they wanted to discredit my website somehow.....

So, this contact I had emailed the soldier through his military email and not the one used to email me origninally.

Since he sent that email -------------

-------I've had no further contact from either.

The GI I know said he would respond if the soldier replied to him.

So, I feel safe in concluding the soldier whose name was used in the original gang rape story as the author of the email has not replied.

And I have not heard from this original emailer either.

What to make of it?

I give it a good 75%+ chance it was a complete fabrication.

Why is a guess...

Given the fluency in English and a couple of other factors ----

I believe it was some expat --- probably a GI ----- who thought he would jerk my chain somehow.

It could have been the GI whose name was given ---- that the guy who said he was Sgt X really was Sgt X but he made up the gang rape story for whatever reason ----

If the Sgt X who was supposed to be the author of the original email was not connected to it in any way -----

---- he would most likely have responded to the email inquiry in his military account by telling this other soldier - he had no idea what the hell was going on ------ and my GI contact would have emailed me to say the story was a hoax not connected to Sgt X.

The fact the real Sgt X has not replied to the email would tend to make me conclude ---- he was the origninal emailer ---- and that the story was a fake.

A possibility is that he (or some other American expat/GI) completely misunderstood the purpose of the GI Crimes section of the website and misunderstood the purpose of the website altogether.

Because --- the day after he send his second (and last) email, I got this one from another person:

If you are korean you should be on your hands and
knees praying to god thanking the americans for all
the GI that have died from 1950 till now for a free
korea,but now you make can only show a few GI
crimes hey let me ask you to go back and find all the
crimes the koreans have commited on GI here in
korea,and what happened to them,well i can tell you
not much go on try and find out,you cant be american
thinking thye way you do,if you are korean i can only
say to you is YOU HAVE FORGOT WHERE YOU COME FROM i
was here in the 70s THE GIs ARE IN KOREA TO KEEP PEACE.

----big sigh-----

I get emails like this about once every 6 months or so.

Ranting and raving about how I could be so anti-American..........

----sigh------

I always respond with a short, biting comment that perhaps the person should take the time to actually read the site before making themselves look stupid.

The fact that I got this email, connected to the GI Crimes pages, immediatly after getting an email about an outrageous ----- truely outrageous ---- gang rape ---- (the story included something about Russian hookers too) ----

makes me believe the two are connected.

I don't believe much in random coincidence.

It is my tentative conclusion --- very tentative --- that the 1st email probably was from the soldier whose name was used, and he probably made up the story to see if I would run hog wild with it.

Why? I could guess at a couple of motivations.

For the person at Dave's ESL Cafe ---- I am pretty sure it was just a punk.

-Someone who got their kicks seeing a bunch of people ranting and raving because he pushed their button.

But I really don't care why.

In the end -------

I think the event shows something about the role of the nature of the US involvement in Korea ---- which is why I'm posting about it.

In both the Dave's ESL case and this email I got ----

people who have lived in Korea for years, gotten to know Korea, and who often have strong opinions about things related to Korea -----

----- took the time to deal with a very --- an extremely serious ---- charge - in a thoughtful, careful manner.

I was in Hawaii when the ESL Cafe story broke, but I still called and emailed to Korea - both to USFK and the Korean police -- and emailed groups --- to track down leads based on the emails -

until we could find out what was going on and what to do about it from there.

And in this current case ------

it was easy for me to pick out quickly a few names from the expat blogging community and USFK members who I knew had been in Korea for some time and had some drive to get to know Korea and knew enough to be able to help out in some way ----- both to try to verify the story ---- and then to try to help if the story turned out to be true.

It was easy to think of people who could help ------- because there are a lot of people who would want to do the right thing.......

And both of those people took the nature of the claim seriously and acted in a serious, methodical, thoughtful way on it.

I'm sure there are a lot of nimrods and jackasses in the US military.

There are in any organization that large.

And there are plenty of what I call "4 Years and Outers" in the organization.

---I don't give a whole lot of credit to people who just served one term in the military --- just as I don't give too much credit to someone who managed to stay in college long enough to graduate----(I don't discredit their achievement, but I don't give them any special kudos like I do those who take the position more serious and devote more of themselves to either of those organizations.)

but I also know that in the military, in USFK, there are plenty of people who keep respect for themselves and their duty and the organization.

And my whole point in writing this long post is ---------

there are plenty of GIs ---- and other American expats in Korea -----

----- who get more pissed off than the Koreans when a GI disrespects the organization and his nation -- when he does something outrageous and illegal.

---- but people who can also put these crimes into the correct context.

If anyone would take just a minimum amount of time and effort actually to read the GI Crimes page I set up -----

-----they would understand exactly what I'm talking about.

There are plenty of enough people like myself ---- including soldiers and people connected to USFK in Korea -----

who would take a claim of a gang rape seriously --- even if we thought it was a fake ----

and people who would seek to help make sure any soldiers who really did participate in a gang rape ----

would be tracked down by the police and would be put in jail ----

which would mean in a Korean jail ----

and we would do this no matter how much damage it would do (for months and even years) to the US image in Korea once the crime hit the press.

Because what is right is right.....

(The problem I (and many others) have with the anti-US groups ------ and the bulk of Korean society who likes to join with those groups a couple of times each and every year ----

is that they do not bother to take the time to be thoughtful and methodical when it comes to issues related to USFK.

with the GI Crimes issue ---- and every other key issue common in the anti-US/USFK mentality ------ if you bother to track it down ---- you will find repeatedly - again and again -------- the popular sentiment in Korea is based on exaggeration and frequently false information.

Which is what I try to demonstrate at the www.usinkorea.org site. )

I applaude you on the wisdom you have shown to investigate such things. Although the internet has opened up world communication channels this is a reminder that it is also abused by the thoughtless. Keep up the good work.

__________________
Turk Quid Pro Quo

I love the internet.

While it does much to lower the standard of truth --- with the issue of credibiity taken a big hit ---

it also opens up greatly the avaliability of information and sources.

Without the internet, I'd have a much, much harder time getting in touch with people and orgs quickly (if at all) to try to gain information and such.

You can meet and make connections with a lot of people and orgs who you can trust.

The problem is ---- many people don't take the time to question sources.

Or even bother to read them ----

like the few nimrods who come to my www.usinkorea.org site and feel angry enough to cuss at me for being anti-American......

You would only have to read half a page of the site to get where I'm coming from.....

__________________
Just my humble opinion!

Well, anything that happens to a GI in Korea (espically if it brought to court) is posted in the local post newpaper. So it should not have been that hard to find out. As I found out on the thread I posted (Kunsan Solider gets sliced) the Blotter is posted every week. Names are left out but the crime is not.

If a gang rape accured it would have been posted.

The latest of a rape was on the front page of the stars and stripes where the Senior NCO said she was raped.

Stuff like you mentioned should not be that hard to find espically if it is true.

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

No. The emailer said the Korean female reported it to the Korean police, but they would not touch the case because it involved GIs.

I just got an email from the person again assuring me it is not a hoax. He said the girl refused to go any further in trying to do something about it, even though he said she said the GIs who raped her were still harassing her.

However, I also got an email from a GI who I had used to verify if Sgt X really was a soldier at at Camp X ------ he had sent the real/same Sgt X an email via his military account (not the one used to email me) ----- and he said he has not gotten a response.

What to make of it?

Who the hell knows....

Hoax or not is a toss up.

In this last response ----

I told whoever is sending me the emails --

he should try to get the female to tell her the names of the GIs or their unit or any info that could identify them

then turn it over to the USFK prosecutors.

Besides the fact the girl could be attacked again based on the continued contact ---- if this is real in the first place

.....sex offenders have a habit of repeating their crimes on other victims....

If it is a hoax, then it makes no difference anyhow....

Also, at this point, the chance to form a firm conclusion has likely passed for good.

Even if the other GI I used does get an email now, there is no way to tell if it was not more a response from my email replies or this posting at this site here.

If the person would make up a story --- he's had enough time to craft an email response to that other person......

If he had answered immediately --- either confirming the story or saying he didn't know what the hell we were talking about ----- it could have given a piece of useful information to process.

Now ---- it is fairly worthless unless further steps can be taken.

And based on this last email I got ---- whether a hoax or not -----

it is pretty much coming to an end ----

barring further criminal acts by the rapists ---- if they are real.

Who the ---- knows???????

(Well, somebody does ----- but it isn't me and most, most likely never will be)

O.K. your are going so far off the deep end with this, it is a little weird.

First, If a Soldier does something to a Korean National and leaves (does not get caught at that time) and the Korean national goes to the KNP they will do something. Ask the Korean Bar owner in Seoul who had his Jaw broken and the 3 guys got away.

BTW I have $26,000,000 that i need to deposit in your account, can you help me? Really I just need to borrow your bank account for a few weeks....

__________________
CH-47 SI

They must find it difficult...

Those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority. --Gerald Massey

I'm the one going off the deep end?

I think not.

I'm not getting carried away with it one way or another --- mainly because there is no good way to verify it one way or another.

And you are wrong to assume it would be handled by the Korean police in every situation.

Things have changed a lot since the mid-1990s when I first started teaching Korean adults ---

---but rape and sex crimes are still taboo.

The news over the past year has shown this in the stories about child sex abuse. Those stories were both a sign things are changing (the stories were written) and that things have remained the same.

Back in the late 1990s, you'd still hear that some buglars would rape the wife and/or daughter of the home owner so he wouldn't report it to the police - to protect the family's honor.

Koreans also told me some Korean men would rape a female in order to force her to marry him --- again --- to prevent exposing the family shame.

It is not a given that the Korean police would cover this case --- but I do agree it would be no suprise if they did ------- because they have covered many GI crimes in the past.

But ----- off the top of my head, I can't remember any rape stories in the press --- unless it also involved murder. There have been a few well publicized cases of that.

The only case that quickly leaps to mind was the KATUSA male rape.

That made the news, but it was not championed --- even by the anti-US groups.

It was also handled by the US military justice system without much of a peep from the usual "Evil SOFA" chorus.

So --- I still give it a good chance the emails were a hoax

but

it is within the realm of possibility.....

Anything is in the realm of possibility........but if I even began to believe every e-mail that