U.S. soldier suspected of arson, in banned bar after curfew

A U.S. soldier is being investigated by police here as a prime suspect in a fire at a Seoul bar in an area off-limits to U.S. military personnel past curfew hours.

Located in Itaewon’s infamous district, better known as “Hooker Hill,” the scorched bar is one out of more than 45 establishments that are off limits to all U.S. Forces Korea military personnel 24 hours.

“There really isn’t much to say about (the incident). It was off-limits and it was after curfew,” USFK spokesman Jason Chudy told The Korea Herald.

“(The U.S. military police) do patrol the area routinely. That is an off-limits establishment,” Eighth Army spokesman Walter Ham told The Korea Herald.

Despite the sweep, the Eighth Army private first class was caught on CCTV footage leaving the bar at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, more than 2-1/2 hours after the off-installation curfew was in effect.

The incident is raising questions within the public and local media regarding the effectiveness of the curfew and U.S. patrols of the area.

The bar is located in a red-light district that caters to foreigners.

Multiple businesses in the area, which are suspected of soliciting prostitution, were declared off-limits to USFK personnel in 2003.

“We don’t take Korean customers here,” said one middle-aged female employee in a slinky pink dress, at an establishment in the area. “All our customers are soldiers,” she added, who refused to disclose her name.

The soldier was brought into the Yongsan Police Station for a five-hour questioning on Wednesday.

The soldier said he had lit a candle in the room to get rid of a smell, but when he came back from the bathroom there was a fire.

He told the police that he ran to a nearby hotel to get a fire extinguisher and was not attempting to flee the scene.

Police, however, suspect the soldier was disgruntled and intoxicated, and deliberately set the establishment on fire after being told to leave.

“A U.S. soldier has been identified as a suspect and in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement, we are fully cooperating with the KNP investigation,” said Eight Army Deputy Commander Brigadier General David Conboy in a public statement. The SOFA governs the legal status of some 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in Korea.

The curfew was reinstated after a handful of violent crimes committed by U.S. soldiers including the high-profile rape of an 18-year-old Korean woman in her home in Dongducheon last month. The soldier was given a 10-year prison sentence, one of the harshest given to a USFK personnel by the local authorities in history.

“The overwhelming majority of our soldiers conduct themselves with dignity and show deep respect for our Korean hosts. This is the expectation for every soldier, on and off-duty, as we serve side by side with our Korean counterparts in support of the Alliance,” said Conboy.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)