초록 열기/닫기 버튼
Due to its strategic and significant location, the landscape of Yongsan was occupied and militarized by various foreign armed forces on numerous occasions during the last millennium, and almost continually for the past century. United States military forces have maintained a presence in the Yongsan area, following the Japanese occupation, almost continuously since the end of World War II. The purpose of this paper is to examine the U.S. Army presence in the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul since 1945. The U.S. Army continued to militarize the Yongsan Army Garrison after the Korean War Armistice was signed, and the garrison began to resemble its current appearance. There were four main sections of the Yongsan Army Garrison: South Post, south of Itaewan-ro, including family quarters and other facilities ; Main Post, north of Itaewan-ro to the boundary of Camp Coiner, containing command, control, and administrative elements ; the 55-acre Camp Coiner, containing the replacement center and billets ; and Camp Kim, across Hangang-daero, west of the Main Post, containing logistical buildings and warehouses, adjacent to the rail line. The Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea was signed on 1 October 1953. This agreement, coupled with the shared experiences and sacrifices in the crucible of combat in the Korean War, provided the foundation for the ironclad ROK-U.S. Alliance that continues to this day. The U.S. has assisted the Republic of Korea in preserving its sovereignty, revitalizing its economy and achieving unimaginable prosperity, and paving the way for increased democratization and civilian control of the military. Throughout this period, the U.S. Army has militarized the Yongsan landscape, and by doing so, has preserved peace throughout the Korean Peninsula, and has also preserved in the heart of metropolitan Seoul an important undeveloped 630-acre parcel of land – about 80 per cent the size of New York City’s Central Park – as its legacy to the Korean nation and people.
