I'm assuming you have read the Korean English papers about the big fire at Yongsan. Below are my initial thoughts about it in relation to anti-US activity in South Korean society.

The papers said a woman who had been holding lone protests for a month (and saying she wanted to defect to the US) claimed she started the fire because of US terrorism. Stories also said some Korean baseworkers were in one of the buildings drinking where they weren't supposed to be.

Whatever the case --- lone arson is not usual in the Korean protest and anti-US culture.

In the period of resistance to authoratarian rule, I believe some structures connected to the US in Korea were burnt during the worst periods of violent demonstrations. But that was in the 1980s or before.

Firebombs were common at demonstrations until the mid to late 1990s --- and they are thrown some these days. During the worst periods of anti-US agitation in the general public, some will be tossed at the Korean riot police during clashes or tossed over the base fence line or at a guard post by small or larger groups of protesters.

This Yongsan fire was not part of any demonstration. Anti-US groups would not set fire to a building without taking credit for it, and they would not take credit for something like arson, because they know it was be rebuked by most of Korean society. Throwing firebombs out of anger is tolerated and understood in Korean protest culture. Setting fire to things is not....

During significant periods of anti-US agitation, there have been attacks on GIs -- including knifing incidents. They usually come in spurts during the worst times - like 2002, 2000, or 1995.

But, we are not in an environment right now that such acts would happen or be tolerated.

Next, at any time, during any environment, the dedicated anti-US university students might stage an event involving GIs --- such as a street altercation or altercation in an entertainment area - to catch it on video or photos. The Korean police over the years have warned USFK about such plots even to the extent of kidnapping a soldier duing the bad periods.

No kidnappings have happened -- and it has never been clear whether any of the street altercations that happen each year involving (usually drunk) GIs was staged or not ---- for my money - I'd bet the Sinchon "stabbing" was one such incident, but most expats don't agree. I simply think there are too many coincidences in that episode --- GIs out with a KATUSA, out in an off-limits area where younger Korean adults frequent, an altercation breaks out, and there just happened to be a photographer there who said he had plans to go up to the Dongduchon area to document bad behavior by GIs in the Camp Town culture....

Anyway, those are about the most devious overt things the anti-US groups plan.

The anti-US culture in Korea is a process with ritualistic like ebbs and flows. The activities and protests are not uniform or without variation.

But, arson just doesn't fit in.

It is also even more unlikely in periods that are not wild with anti-US feeling in the press and public - and we are not in a period like that right now.

So, if this woman did set the fire --- she did it for her own reasons and rationale out of place with the anti-US cultural norm and the period we are in right now.

It turns out a 57-year old Korean womean did it.

__________________
Visit USFK Classifieds, the FREE classifieds in Korea!